


Foiling Fate

by ECL



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Aromantic, Asexual Character, Blood and Violence, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Cindered Shadows DLC Spoilers, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Mild Language, Platonic Relationships, Twins, other ships tbd - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 55,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27832162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ECL/pseuds/ECL
Summary: Byleth might be an orphan, but at least she has her best friend, Yuri. After Yuri is banished to Abyss for killing a Knight, Byleth follows him and enrolls in Garreg Mach, where she meets her twin brother and birth father. But trouble is stirring in Fodlan, the house leaders are all plotting, and her brother needs Byleth for his own scheme to work. (Updates weekly.)
Relationships: Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc & My Unit | Byleth, Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27





	1. Arriving at Garreg Mach

I was vaguely aware of the warm trickle of blood on my left arm and the stinging pain from the cut, but my focus was on the group of knights in front of me. They were escorting Yuri back to Garreg Mach. _If they sentence him to death…_ I gripped the sword hanging by my side.

We were passing through the town leading to the monastery. It was nearing sunset. I followed, maintaining my distance, as we went up the steps, passed the gates, and into the large building.

The knights didn’t slow their pace a step. We walked straight back outside, then down another hall full of tables, before turning left. We took some stairs up to the second floor. The knights stopped in front of a pair of double doors and spoke with the guards there. The guards nodded and opened the double doors.

 _Hm, how do I follow them in now?_ I glanced around from the edge of the staircase. I was wearing a cloak to hide my sword, but it caused my attire to stand out against the other regular folks walking around.

Hurried footsteps were approaching from behind so I stepped forward. The person behind me brushed past me, rushing for the double doors. “Excuse me,” he said to the guards. “I heard what happened. Is Yuri inside?”

 _He knows Yuri?_ The guards nodded and opened the door for him to enter. _Maybe I can follow him in._ I stepped towards the guards.

“I’m with him,” I said, pointing at the closing doors. “His, uh, new, assistant!”

The guards glanced at each other and shrugged, before pulling the doors open for me. _That worked? They really must not care._

“-pardon him!” The man I’d followed in was talking and walking forward. He was wearing an interesting red and black outfit of robes. The four knights were still standing around Yuri, and they were all facing forward, where a woman with green hair stood. 

“I understand, Aelfric,” the woman said, nodding. Her gaze moved to me, and Aelfric turned towards me as well. Well, walking right in wasn’t particularly sneaky.

Aelfric’s eyes widened, while the woman’s mouth dropped open. She closed her mouth quickly and gestured at me. “Won’t you come forward, child?” she said. The knights and Yuri turned around to look at me.

 _Child?_ I glanced at Yuri. He nodded. The knights stepped aside for me to move forward. 

“What’s your name?” the woman said.

My eyes slid to my left towards Yuri again. Was this lady trustworthy? Was it safe to tell her the truth? His eyes dropped down. A silent signal of yes. 

“Byleth,” I said. “And you are?”

The woman smiled. “My name is Rhea. I’m the Archbishop of the Church of Serios.” I see. Aelfric walked into view, staring at Rhea.

“Lady Rhea, is this not...?” Aelfric said, waving a hand in the air towards my direction.

Rhea shook her head. “Let’s not jump to conclusions, Aelfric.” She turned back to me. “Byleth, what business do you have here?”

My left hand wrapped around my sword sheath. “I’m here to hear what you’re going to do with Yuri.”

“They’re expelling me,” Yuri said, meeting my gaze with the usual calm. Expel. That made sense. 

“Only that?” I swallowed. There was no way they would let him off so easily, right? After killing a knight of Serios?

“Aelfric has pleaded for us to pardon Yuri. Usually, murdering a Knight of Serios is only punishable by death. But considering Aelfric’s pleas, Yuri will be banished to Abyss instead,” Rhea said. “That is his punishment.” Abyss? My grip tightened on my sword. That had to be some name for a dungeon or an execution block.

“Abyss is the name of the underground area beneath Garreg Mach,” Aelfric said. “Yuri will have some freedom to move around there.”

Yuri nodded. I wasn’t convinced until I saw Abyss with my own eyes.

“Then, knights, please escort Yuri to Abyss,” Rhea said. The knights nodded and headed towards the door. “Byleth, could I have a word with you?”

I grabbed Yuri’s arm as he was turning to follow the knights. “No, I’m going to Abyss too.” 

Rhea nodded. “Very well. Perhaps some other time then.” The knights were waiting at the opened double doors. I dropped my grip on Yuri’s arm but he caught my hand and pulled my arm out from underneath the cloak.

Yuri stared at the cut that ran from my forearm to my elbow. I’d forgotten about it at the moment. The blood was drying out, but not before it’d stain a part of the cloak. Darn. Blood stains were tough to get out of clothing. 

“Can we stop by the infirmary first?” Yuri asked the knights, releasing my hand. The knights nodded. We followed them out and down the hallway to a small infirmary. There wasn’t anyone around, just two plain beds and cabinets packed with books and crates. “Looks like Professor Manuela is out.”

Yuri rummaged through the drawers before pulling some bandages and disinfectant out. “You’re not going to just heal me?” I said, sitting down in a stool. The knights stayed near the doorway. Yuri dragged the other stool closer, while I held my arm out. 

“It looks pretty shallow,” Yuri said, cleaning the dried blood off with a damp cloth.

I glanced towards the doorway where the knights were standing, then back to Yuri. “Say the word, and we’ll get out of here,” I said in a whisper. 

Yuri shook his head, grabbing the disinfectant salve. “No, there’s something I have to do,” Yuri said as he applied some disinfectant to the cut.

I winced from the sting. “Ow.”

“Should have been more careful,” Yuri said, shaking his head. He was keeping his gaze down as he finished with the disinfectant and moved onto the bandages. His usual smirk was nowhere on his face. Instead, his lips were pressed tightly together. I dropped my own gaze to watch Yuri wrap the bandage around and around my arm. 

I could still picture Yuri’s expression after he’d stabbed one of the knights just this afternoon. Eyes wide, face pale, and mouth hanging open. Then his eyes had narrowed and his lips tightened to a grim line.

“Done,” Yuri said, snipping off the remaining bandage roll. He stood to return the supplies to their respective locations. We joined the knights out in the hallway.

“Hey, you look familiar,” one of them said to me.

I raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“You’re one of the thieves, aren’t you?” the knight said. I glanced at Yuri. I thought they’d already known that. I’d fought off a few knights to buy time for the rest of our thieves to run away.

“No, you’re probably mistaken,” Yuri said with one of his sweet smiles. “Byleth isn’t a thief.”

“You sure?” The knight tapped the side of his helmet in thought.

“Ah, let’s get moving,” another knight said, waving us along. We went back down the stairs and along a hallway.

“Then how do you two know each other?” the first knight asked, pointing at me.

Yuri kept his bright smile on. “We’re engaged.” I almost tripped over my feet. I furrowed my eyebrows at Yuri, but his expression was unflinching. “And Count Rowe would never marry his son off to a thief.”

“Huh, I suppose,” the first knight said and shrugged. I let out a quiet sigh. _That worked?_ Though I’d seen first hand the number of people Yuri could fool with that smile of his.

We walked outside, past some hedges then past some buildings, before approaching a tunnel. The knights continued in with no hesitation, so we followed them in. There were a few torches against the walls. The tunnel snaked left then right, always spiraling downwards. There were a few smaller paths that branched off. This was Abyss?

After a few minutes, we could see some brighter light from the end of the tunnel. I glanced at Yuri as we entered a large cavern. There were merchants set up at tents and people walking around.

“Woah,” I said. The roof of the cavern was at least two stories high. The whole place was lit up by flickering torches and lamps.

“Sir Aelfric went ahead to prepare a room for you,” one of the knights said. The knights glanced around.

“I think he said to go that way?” another knight pointed forwards.

“I’m not very familiar with this place,” a third knight said, shaking their head. We continued forward, past the merchants, then down a flight of stairs. We crossed a bridge over a small running stream then turned right down a hallway. Aelfric was standing outside of a doorway.

We stopped in front of him. Aelfric waved towards the room. There were a few sets of bunk beds and desks inside. “This is a dorm room. A few servants will bring your belongings here from your room,” Aelfric said.

A dorm room? But Yuri had been expelled! Why couldn’t he get an actual house or something? Yuri shrugged and stepped inside.

“Do you need a place to stay, Byleth?” Aelfric asked, glancing at me. He smiled.

I shook my head. “No, thank you.” I followed Yuri inside. He sat down on one of the lower bunk beds. There was someone sleeping in the top left bunk, a big dude by the looks of it too.

“I’ll try to visit again tomorrow,” Aelfric said to Yuri.

Yuri nodded. “Thank you.”

“Good night,” Aelfric said.

“Good night,” Yuri replied. Aelfric closed the door, and we listened to their footsteps fade. I sat down beside Yuri. He’d dropped his face into his hands, elbows on his knees.

“You okay?” I said.

Yuri let out a long sigh, shoulders drooping. The calm facade was melting away. I patted his back. “I’m sorry,” I said.

“For what?” Yuri said.

“If I’d been faster, or stronger…” I stared at the floor. My hand remained on Yuri’s shoulder. “You wouldn’t have had to kill that knight. I could have gotten there and done the deed.”

“No, it’s not your fault.” Yuri sat up to meet my gaze then looked away. “Besides, that wouldn’t change anything. That knight would still be dead.” He bit his bottom lip. I dropped my hand back to my side.

“He was innocent, Byleth,” Yuri said, resting his elbows on his knees again. There was a quiver in his voice.

“I know,” I said. Yuri was burrowing his face in his hands again. His whole body shook. I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m sorry.” That was the best thing I could think to say.

* * *

The next day, after Yuri assured me that I could trust Rhea, I returned to the monastery to talk with her.

“I’m so glad to see you again, Byleth,” Rhea said with a smile. For the archbishop of the Church of Serios, she sure had free time on her hands to meet me right away.

“So what did you want to say yesterday?” I said.

“Well, I was wondering if you’d share who your parents might be,” Rhea said. My parents? Really? I tried not to glare at her. Yuri had said I could trust her.

“I don’t have parents,” I said. “I’m an orphan.”

“Oh.” Rhea’s eyes widened and a hand went to her open mouth. She looked away. “I’m so sorry. I thought--”

“No, it’s okay,” I said, shaking my head.

“Perhaps I can help you then,” Rhea said.

I raised one eyebrow. “Help me how?” What, was she going to adopt me? What was with wealthy people adopting teenagers anyway? Just like with Yuri.

“You look a lot like someone I know, who had a pair of twins twenty years ago,” Rhea said. Twins? Rhea nodded with a small smile when she saw my furrowed eyebrows. “Her name was Sitri, and her husband was Jeralt, the previous captain of the Knights of Serios. Unfortunately, she passed away giving birth. Then a great fire happened, and Jeralt and the twins disappeared.” Rhea frowned, closing her eyes. “We thought we’d lost them -- Jeralt and the twins -- but I’ve always believed they were still alive.”

She looked at me, smiling. “You look so much like Sitri. You must be her daughter.”

“But, if you’re right, then where’s Jeralt and my twin?” I said.

Rhea shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”

I stared at the elaborate gold fabric lining Rhea’s dress and the enormous headdress she had on. Why was she telling me this? What could she gain from this? My trust? My help in searching for Jeralt? I sighed and said, “Is that all you wanted to say?”

“Oh, one more thing.” Rhea lifted her head up to meet my gaze. “Yuri told me you’re quite skilled at the sword and light magic and that you might benefit from enrolling in the Officers Academy.”

Rhea had to be kidding me. Enroll in the academy that’d just expelled Yuri? I shook my head. “No, thanks. Besides, there’s no way I could afford the tuition,” I said.

Rhea pursed her lips. “That’s true. The tuition costs are rather high. If you’re truly interested, though, I can find a sponsor for you.”

A sponsor? I crossed my arms and shook my head. “No thanks.” I didn’t want to be in debt to someone. “Is that all?”

Rhea forced a tight-lipped smile. “Yes, you may go now.”

“Thank you.” I bowed a bit before sweeping out of the room. 

I returned to Abyss to find Yuri waiting near the entrance for me. I told him what Rhea had told me. 

“Interesting,” Yuri said, resting his chin in his hand. “So Lady Rhea might know your parents.”

I shook my head. “Not very helpful though.” We were standing near at the top of the stairs. I sighed. “Anyway, I’m going to head back.” Yuri nodded. “You sure you want to stay here?” I asked, frowning.

Yuri nodded again. “Yes. It’s the only way I can atone.”

I nodded. “I understand. Should I tell the gang? Your mother?”

Yuri looked away. “You’ll have to.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white envelope. “Could you give this to my mother?” He held it out to me.

I took the envelope and tucked it into my own pocket. “Of course. And I’ll see if the gang wants to move here,” I said.

Yuri smirked. “They will.”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I think they’ll want to move too.” I spread my arms out and Yuri stepped closer for a hug. “Take care.”

“You too,” he said. I waved at him one last time before trekking into the tunnels towards the surface. It’d be a long walk home.

* * *

After I delivered Yuri’s letter to his mother, Rose, I joined her for dinner. A simple onion gratin soup, warm and delicious with bread.

“I’m just glad he’s safe,” Rose said with a quiet sigh. Rose had even lighter purple hair than Yuri, and she liked to wear dark red lipstick. She was the one who’d taught Yuri how to use makeup.

I nodded. I told her about meeting Rhea and what Rhea had to say about my parents.

Rose’s blue eyes lit up. “Why, that’s good news, Byleth! Maybe you can find your father or brother.”

I shook my head, biting into the white bread. “I’m not going to waste my time searching for people who don’t want me.”

Rose’s gaze softened. “I’m sure that’s not true. They must have had their reasons.”

“But you don’t know that,” I said, quietly. I didn’t want to take my frustrations out on Rose. I shrugged and picked up my spoon. “It’s all right. I don’t care.”

But that was a lie, and Rose could probably tell too.

After dinner, I went to the bar next doors, where our crew could often be found. I filled them in and suggested we take another trip back to check Abyss out.

“Clearly, we’re wanted men now,” Barold said with a laugh. They were drinking from large wooden tankards of ale. “Sounds like we’d be safe in Abyss though.”

We made plans to visit Abyss in another week to scout it out.

“Would you want to move with us?” I asked Rose, once I was back home. It was a small but cozy cottage, half of it bought with money Yuri and I had scammed from nobles.

“I don’t know,” Rose said. “I’ll think about it.”

* * *

Yuri met us at the entrance of Abyss when we arrived for our visit. 

“I think I’m starting to learn my way around,” he told us with his usual smile. “Shall I give you a grand tour?”

“Yes, boss!” Barold said, grinning. “Good to see you, Yuri boss!”

We followed Yuri through the marketplace. We visited the library, the pagan’s altar, and the one restaurant, if it could be called that. Yuri pointed out a small house near the marketplace. “That place is up for grabs,” he said.

We took a look. There were two bed rooms, both just large enough for a bed, a desk, and a chair. There was one bathroom, and the one open room was a combination of kitchen and dining.

“We’re gonna need a bigger place than this,” Barold said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah.” Alland nodded.

Yuri glanced at me. “Maybe it’d do for my mother, though.”

“She said she doesn’t know yet,” I told him.

We thanked the current owner for letting us take a look and left. Yuri stretched his arms up in the air. “Well, I’ve got some other things to do,” Yuri said. “You two want to just wander around?”

Alland and Barold glanced at each other and shrugged. “We can find our way around. Maybe,” Barold said.

“I’ll go with them,” I said, stepping to follow after them.

“Actually, Byleth,” Yuri said, “Lady Rhea would like to talk to you.”

“Again?” I frowned. “What now?”

Yuri shrugged. “Probably about attending the Officers Academy.”

“But I can’t afford it,” I said, throwing my arms in the air. “Does she not speak poor or something?”

Yuri chuckled. “No, I think Lady Rhea may have found someone to sponsor you.”

“But I don’t _want_ that,” I said.

“What if I told you I’m the sponsor?” Yuri said. I raised an eyebrow at Yuri. He sighed, shifting his weight on his feet. “Look, I know you don’t like being in debt to someone, but you’re already in debt to me. So it’d be fine if that debt just got larger, right?” The familiar smirk crept back up.

“You really want me to attend this Officer’s Academy? Even though it’s the reason why we’re even _here_ right now?” I said, waving my hand in the air.

“I think it’d be good for you.” Yuri shrugged. “I learned a lot. Think of it as finishing what I started.”

“Where’d you get the money from?” I folded my arms over my chest. There was no way Count Rowe gave him enough allowance money.

“I bargained. The money’s coming from Lady Rhea, but in exchange, I’m running errands for her,” Yuri said.

“What kind of errands?” That didn’t sound good.

“Information on Abyss. Nothing too difficult.”

I stared off to the side for a second, then back at Yuri. “You really think I should attend?”

Yuri nodded. “I’d get to see you everyday. If you bothered to come to Abyss to see me, anyway.”

“Of course I would!” I was surprised Yuri would even doubt that. I sighed. “All right. I’ll do it.”

He smiled and reached a hand out to gently ruffle my hair. I reached back to pinch his cheek. “Hey!” he yelped, while I laughed. It reminded me of the time when Yuri still had some baby fat on his cheeks, when I was taller than him.

“Fine. I’m off to go see Lady Rhea then,” I said, turning towards the exit.

Yuri nodded. “See you later.”

* * *

There were three more months until the start of the new academic year. I returned to Abyss the following month with Rose to check the place out again. The crew was preparing for the move.

“I don’t know. There’s not much sunlight here,” Rose said as we strolled around.

“There’s none at all,” I said.

“You can go to the surface whenever you want, Mother,” Yuri said. I knew he wanted her to move here. I knew he wanted her to be close. I wanted the same too.

“If not, the town outside of Garreg Mach is nice too,” I said.

Rose looked at the two of us with a soft smile. “I know. I’m thinking about it.” After that, Rose and I walked around the town ourselves. It was mostly full of merchants, devout worshippers, and people who worked for the church.

“I’m not sure I’d fit in here,” Rose told me.

The second month, I helped the crew move to Abyss. They’d bought out a large house to live in together, and they converted the first floor into a makeshift bar. The third month, I helped Rose move to Abyss. Some of the crewmates came to help us move stuff too. Rose bought the small house we’d seen previously.

“Two bedrooms? I suppose Yuri could take the other one,” Rose said.

“I don’t mind staying in the dorm rooms,” Yuri said. “There’s another guy there, Balthus, from the Alliance.”

“Oh?” Rose’s eyes lit up. “That’s wonderful! You can make a new friend. But you can come and stay with me whenever you want.”

Yuri nodded and then glanced at me. “It’ll probably be Byleth’s place for now.”

I grinned. “Nice!”


	2. Meeting My Classmates

Lady Rhea placed me in the Blue Lions classroom, since, like Yuri, I was originally from Faerghus lands. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I woke up that morning, donned the black and gold uniform, and walked out of Abyss to the academy. Rose had kissed me on the cheek and wished me good luck on my way out.

And I’d need good luck.

I found seven other students already in the classroom. One of them, blond haired, blued-eyed, wearing a blue cape over his shoulder was the Prince of The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. The Prince! What was I doing in the same room as  _ royalty _ ?

I sat down on the nearest bench, which was also closest to the door. A girl with orange hair tied into braids was sitting beside me, talking to another girl, who was standing. They both turned to me and introduced themselves.

“Hello, I’m Annette!” the orange-haired girl said with a bright smile. “And this is my bestie, Mercie.”

“Mercedes,” the girl who was standing said. “Nice to meet you.” They both had such warm smiles. It was rather… disarming. I was more used to gruff dudes, sharpening their blades and drinking alcohol.

“Byleth,” I said. I tried to smile at them with the same kindness they had. I scanned the room. There was a very tall, broad-shouldered guy hovering by the prince, and the prince was talking to a girl with yellow hair in a long braid down her back. She glanced towards our classroom door.

“Is Sylvain still not here? I bet he overslept,” she said. She turned to another student, who was sitting nearby, with black hair tied up, and said, “Felix, come with me. Let’s go drag Sylvain over.”  
Felix sighed. “I’m sure you can handle it, Ingrid.”

There were footsteps fast approaching. Was that our professor? I thought class was supposed to have started. I glanced at the doorway.

A red head burst into view, gasping for air. He leaned on his knees. “Phew. I made it.”

“Sylvain! What took you so long? Good thing our professor isn’t here yet, or you’d be late,” Ingrid said, placing her hands on her hips. She seemed like the serious, strict type.

Nearby, I heard Mercedes giggle.

Then there was one last student, a gray-haired, freckled boy, who sat near the front, engrossed in a book. 

Another pair of footsteps and someone walked in. “All right, students, take your seats,” the woman said. It must be the professor then. She had short, light brown hair, and wore an interesting green dress that exposed her cleavage. 

Everyone settled down, Mercedes taking the seat on the other side of Annette. The professor wrote her name on the chalkboard. “I’m Professor Manuela.”

* * *

“Well, how was your first day?” Yuri and I sat at the dining table of Rose’s new house. Rose had brewed us a pot of Albinean Berry Blend, a caffeine-less, mildly sweet tea. Rose joined us at the table with a plate of cookies.

“I want to hear all about it too,” she said with a smile.

“Well, the  _ prince  _ was there,” I said. Yuri raised an eyebrow while lifting the cup of tea to his lips.

“So I’ve heard,” Yuri said.

Rose glanced between the two of us then leaned closer. “You mean, the Prince of Faerghus? Dimitri, wasn’t it?”

Yuri and I both nodded, and I said, “Isn’t that just crazy? The Prince!” Rose laughed. She had a light, soft laugh.

“Anyway, they all seem to know each other,” I said. “It’s hard to talk to them. There’s the Prince and his retainer, Dedue. Then there’s this trio of childhood friends. Then there’s another pair of girls who are friends. I suppose there’s only one other student who doesn’t already know someone.”

Yuri shrugged. “You’ll be fine, Byleth. I didn’t know anyone going in.”

* * *

The next day, Sylvain approached me. Our whole class was walking to the cafeteria for lunch, but I was trailing a bit behind the others.

“Hey there, Byleth, looking beautiful as usual,” he said with a wink. I glanced at him and then back at the group in front of me.

“What do you want?” I asked. I knew his type. The ones who flirted and charmed their way to get whatever they want.

“Hoho,” he chuckled. “Quite the straight-forward type, huh?” I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just kept walking. We were almost at the cafeteria. Ingrid would probably turn around and chastise Sylvain any moment now.

“I want a date, of course,” Sylvain said with another smile.

“Sorry, not interested.” I shook my head. We filed one-by-one into the cafeteria. Ingrid glanced back at us, her eyes narrowing when she saw Sylvain. She slowed down until we caught up.

“Sylvain, stop hitting on our classmates,” Ingrid said, punching his shoulder.

“Ow!” Sylvain flinched. I snickered. Well deserved. At least, there was someone keeping him in line.

“Sorry about that,” Ingrid said to me.

“Hey, at least I got a smile out of you,” Sylvain said, stretching his arms over his head. Ingrid hit his side again, and he yelped in pain.

“Don’t mind him, really,” Ingrid said.

We had our first quiz in the second week about common battle strategies. Annette invited me to study with her, Mercedes, and Ashe, so, after class, we walked to the library. We sat down at a table.

Annette started going over her notes, neat lines of text crawling over the paper. Mercedes picked up the textbook, while Ashe worked on some practice problems in our textbook.

I wasn’t sure what to do. I’d never studied before in my life. Yuri gave me his textbooks, since he said he wouldn’t be needing them anymore. I’d taken some notes during class, but they were of questionable quality. The notes tapered off halfway through the lecture, when I’d started getting bored and tired.

I stared at the textbooks. I hadn’t done all of the reading either. It took forever. I was a slow reader, and all the letters on the page, so tiny and crammed together, made my head hurt.

I was going to fail this quiz, wasn’t I? Then I’d get expelled from this academy for being too stupid. I sighed. Yuri would be disappointed. He’d have paid for the tuition for nothing.

“Something wrong?” Mercedes said. She had such an airy, light voice.

I shook my head. “I, uh… I don’t really know how to study.”

Mercedes’s mouth dropped open. “Oh my, is that so?”

Annette raised her head, eyes lighting up. “You don’t know how to study, Byleth? Don’t worry. I can teach you!”

Mercedes chuckled. “Annie is great at studying.”

Ashe smiled and said, “I could use some help too.”

Annette pushed her notes to the middle of the table. “First, it helps to take notes. Writing things down helps commit it to your memory. And, you can review your notes later…” So began a lesson on learning… 

The next day, when Ingrid discovered that we were studying together, she decided to join us, and dragged Sylvain and Felix in too. Of course, that caught Dimitri’s attention, and he wanted to be included.

“I have to study too,” Dimitri said. Dedue nodded.

Which meant the entire Blue Lions class ended up in the library that evening, with our heads down in books and papers. Felix kept fidgeting in his seat and grumbling, while Sylvain was staring at another student at a different table, until someone kicked him in the shin. Possibly Ingrid.

The day before our quiz, a Thursday, I found Yuri in his dorm room, sitting on his bed with another book.

“You never stop reading,” I said.

He glanced up, slid a bookmark in, and closed the book with one hand. “Reading is learning.”

The room was empty. I stepped in and dropped down next to him. “I’m going to fail the quiz tomorrow.”

Yuri laughed. “No, you won’t.”

“Yes, I will.” I leaned back until my head bumped into the wall. “I’m going to fail, and they’ll expel me for being an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, Byleth,” Yuri said. “You’ll be fine.”

I sat up and then leaned towards Yuri, resting my head on his shoulder. “I hope so.”

“You’ve been so busy studying all week that I’ve barely seen you. You’ll be fine.” He wrapped an arm around me and squeezed me in a hug.

I wanted to believe in Yuri. He was usually right.

The next day, I sat down to face a battle of wits with a piece of paper. And, Yuri was right. I was fine. I won.

* * *

At the end of the month, we went on our monthly mission. The three classes split amongst themselves, with the three house leaders going on one mission together. It was apparently to build rapport between the three houses.

My group consisted of Hilda and Ignatz from Golden Deer house, Lindhardt and Dorothea from Black Eagles house, and myself and Felix.

We walked through the forest towards a town. Our mission was to fight off some bandits. There were three other Knights of Serios with us and Professor Manuela. I was just glad these bandits couldn’t be our own crew.

Our group was rather quiet. Hilda, Dorothea, and Professor Manuela were chatting and laughing together near the front of the group. Lindhardt kept yawning and trailed near the back. Ignatz, Felix, and I walked in silence.

“The weather’s nice today, huh?” Ignatz said with a smile. He had really large, round glasses. Felix and I nodded.

Oh man, I wasn’t good at small talk. Then again, Yuri was the only person I really talked to who was around my age. My shoulders were tensing up. I tried to take a deep breath to relax.

“Yeah, really cool,” I said. “Uh. Sunny.”

Ignatz chuckled. “So, what part of the Kingdom are you from, Byleth?”

“I’m from the southern part,” I said, “a small village not too far from Gaspard. Um, what about you, Ignatz?” Yes, that was always an easy way. Just deflect the question back!

“I’m from the center area of the Alliance, near Gloucester area.”

I didn’t actually know where that was, but I smiled and nodded. “Ah, very cool!”

When we arrived at the town, we found three bandits harassing some villagers. When they saw us, they stopped, turned, and bolted away.

“Quick, chase after them!” one of the knights said, and they began to sprint. Ignatz, Felix, Dorothea and I ran with the knights. When I glanced back, I found Hilda jogging after us. Professor Manuela was chastising Lindhardt, who just covered his yawn with his hand.

The knights tackled one of the bandits. Ignatz stopped running to fire a warning arrow at the other bandit. At least, I thought it was a warning arrow, since it only grazed the bandit. Dorothea took Ignatz’s idea and blasted a fireball at the bandit. That worked, and the bandit dropped to the ground, clothes burnt to a fine crisp. 

Felix kept sprinting after the last bandit. Goddess, they were both fast -- Felix and bandit. I followed them, my lungs struggling to keep up. We were dashing through the small village, with villagers dodging out of our way with gasps.

I reached for the small knife on my belt that I always carried with me. Then I threw it at the bandit’s leg. The bandit shrieked when the knife made contact and toppled to the floor. Felix was on top of him the next second, holding his sword at the bandit’s neck.

The other knights and I caught up, and the knights quickly took the bandit captive.

“Sorry about that,” I told the bandit, who was glaring at me. “But could I have my knife back?”

The knights helped the bandit to his feet, and we turned to walk back towards the monastery. Overall, not the most exciting or life-threatening day.

What was exciting was after we were back at the monastery.

“Did you hear?” Annette rushed up to me, when I entered the classroom. All the other groups were back except for the main house leaders. “Apparently, there was a really cool mercenary who helped Prince Dimitri out.”

“Oh?” I said. “What happened with their group?”

“Hm, apparently they ran into some difficult bandits, and the professor ran away,” Mercedes said.

“What?” My jaw dropped. The professor ran away?

“Sounds like an exciting mission though,” Annette said with a smile. I agreed.

“Do you think the mercenary will become a new knight?” Ashe said, joining our group.

Mercedes chuckled. “That would be fun.”

“I wonder what will happen to the professor though,” Annette said. Prince Dimitri appeared in the classroom doorway with Professor Manuela behind him. 

“All right, class, good work today,” Professor Manuela said, clapping her hands to get our attention. “Since everyone successfully completed their missions today, class is dismissed.”

Phew, finally. I stretched my shoulders out and shuffled out of the classroom with everyone else. While others surrounded Prince Dimitri with questions on his mission and the life-saving mercenary, I headed for Abyss. From the corner of my eye, I could see Dimitri watching me leave, his mouth slightly agape.

Yuri was reading a book in the makeshift classroom. Balthus was sleeping with his head on the desk. Hapi had some books in front of her but was doodling instead. I’d met them both over the past three months during my frequent visits to Abyss.

Yuri glanced up when I entered. “Hey, Byleth, how was your mission?”

I shrugged. “Uneventful. Not sure if I’ll get my knife back though.”

Yuri smiled, as I took the seat next to him. “Must have been somewhat eventful if you had to pull a knife out,” Yuri said. He was reading a book on battle tactics and taking notes. Notes! I squinted at the tiny text.

“That looks like a terrible time,” I said.

“If you want to read faster, you just have to read more,” Yuri said and picked his book up. He didn’t want to chat. He wanted to read. I rested my head on the table, like Balthus, who was snoring softly. Hapi, who sat behind him, kicked his chair, but he didn’t even budge.

It was already the end of the first month at the academy, yet I still had a hard time talking to the other students. I couldn’t help freezing up, stammering over my words, never knowing what to say. I could talk to Yuri just fine. Why couldn’t it be the same for everyone else?

I wanted them to like me. Maybe I just cared too much about what they thought of me. But Yuri… He already knew who I was, what kind of person I was, and he never looked away, never hesitated to stand by my side, and fight. I didn’t have to worry… worry about being abandoned and tossed aside.

My eyelids slid shut. I shifted in my seat, bringing my arms onto the desk for a more comfortable position. My body was tired from the sprinting. I could feel myself slipping into sleep.

* * *

I woke up in the spare bedroom at Rose’s place. When I walked into the living room, Rose was sitting at the stove, sauteeing some meat. Smelled like a bird, maybe pheasant.

“You must have been tired from yesterday,” Rose said, glancing at me with a smile. “Yuri carried you back, and you didn’t even wake up once.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. “He could have woken me up.”

There was a clack as the door opened and Yuri stepped in. “Not like you have class today,” he said. His eyes were bright, and his typical smirk looked more mischievous than usual. “I heard the mercs from yesterday are still here at the academy. The ones who saved the house leaders.”

“So?”

“Sit down and have breakfast first,” Rose said, setting a plate of pheasant and eggs down. I grabbed two more plates and passed them to her. We settled down at the dining table to eat. 

“I heard one of them is going to join the Knights of Serios,” Yuri said. 

“Where are you getting all of this information from?” I asked. Rose nodded in agreement. We both knew Yuri was excellent at espionage, but even I had a hard time understanding how he got all his information.

Yuri shrugged. He always tried to shrug things off like that. “I have a few contacts in Abyss. And now that the crew is here, and they can move freely, I have even more people on the ground.” He placed a hand on the table and leaned forward. “That’s not important. The other merc is around our age and might become a student or professor.”

“Around our age and a professor?” I raised my eyebrows. “They must have some incredible credentials.”

Yuri smiled. “You should go up and see for yourself.”

So, after breakfast and washing the dishes, I left Abyss. I wanted to change out of my battle clothes and back into something more comfortable, like the school uniform. The dorms were oddly quiet. It didn’t seem like anyone was in their rooms, except for Bernadetta, but she was always in her room.

After changing, I wandered over to the classrooms, wondering where everyone was. It wasn’t like we had a big exam coming up. So where  _ was _ everyone?

Passing by the Yellow House classroom, I saw most of the students there. It was the same for the Red House. I was nearing the doorway for my classroom when I saw someone walk into view. Someone new. Someone different. Someone with the exact same shade of blue hair as me, the same shade of blue eyes.

We both stopped in front of the doorway, looking at each other. Well, I was probably gaping, mouth hanging open, staring at my doppelganger.

No, not my doppelganger.

My  _ twin. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Meeting My Twin and Father?!

He bowed. When he was standing again, he said, “My name is Byleth. Nice to meet you.”

Byleth? I shook my head. No, that wasn’t possible.  _ I  _ was Byleth. Maybe he really was my clone!

Byleth kept standing there, waiting. Waiting for me to respond. There wasn’t a trace of emotions on his face, just calm. I cleared my throat. “Well, that’s funny, because I also go by Byleth,” I said. I watched his face. Still nothing. His eyes barely widened, or maybe he was blinking.

He rested his chin in his hand and his elbow on his arm, striking a thinking pose. “Are you a student here?” he asked. He had a low, quiet voice.

I nodded. “Are you the merc everyone’s talking about? The one who saved Prince Dimitri and the others.”

Byleth straightened up again and nodded.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I’m here to meet the students,” he said. So Yuri was right. He really was going to be another student -- or professor -- here. I glanced in at our classroom, where all my classmates were. Merecedes and Annette were chatting in a corner.

“You… You’re…” Byleth was staring at me. I met his steady gaze with my own. “You’re my sister, aren’t you?”

I didn’t know what to say. I wanted to say something smart, like,  _ No, I’m an alien. No, I’m… I don’t know!  _ I shook my head, stuffed my hands into my pockets. “I don’t know.” But wait, Yuri had mentioned two mercs. I glanced back up at Byleth. “Is the other mercenary related to you?”

Byleth nodded. “My father.”

I felt my chest tighten. I stepped back. “I see.”

“Do you want to meet him?” Byleth asked.

I didn’t know. I really didn’t. If they were really my family… so what? I was already twenty some years old. I was an adult. I didn’t need a father figure or a random brother popping into my life like this.

“Where is he?” I said, staring at the ground.

“I’m not sure. Lady Rhea would know.”

“I see.” I took another step back. “Well, don’t let me keep you standing there.” Byleth looked at me for another second before nodding. He dipped into the classroom and I watched, from outside, as he went around the room, meeting each of my classmates and introducing himself.

When he left our classroom, I followed a few steps behind him. He moved to the Black Eagles classroom and proceeded to do the exact same thing. He talked to every single student with that stony face of his, never cracking a smile.

I stayed outside and watched him do the same with the Golden Deer students. Then he stepped outside, struck his thinking pose for a bit, before nodding at me.

“Let’s go,” he said.

To where? I had a feeling he was the terse kind. I followed him anyway, down the hall, up the stairs, to Rhea’s audience room - whatever it was called.

Rhea was standing there waiting for us. She smiled when she saw us enter.

“Byleth,” she said. “And… Byleth.”

Yes, yes, it was confusing. 

“Where’s my father?” Byleth asked.

“Jeralt’s in the Captain’s Quarters,” Rhea said, looking at me. “Just down the hall, first room on the left.”

Byleth turned to look at me too. He nodded. That seemed to be a signature trait of his: just nodding, no words, no expressions. They wanted me to go meet him. Byleth’s father. My father…? It sounded strange to think about.

“All right,” I said. I nodded back at Byleth and at Rhea, then trod out of the room.

I stood outside in the hall for a second, gathering myself, wiping my sweaty palms on my pants. I was just meeting a new person. That was all. It would be fine. Maybe. No, definitely.

I walked down the hallway, steeling my mind. I was going to get answers. I stepped into the doorway. The man inside glanced up. He had yellow hair, a part of it tied back into a plait, a square jaw, broad-shouldered and tall.

Maybe I had the wrong person. He looked nothing like Byleth or me (which, I suppose, was Byleth too). 

But I didn’t have the wrong person. I could tell by the way his eyes widened, his gaze darting across my face.

“You-” he said, opening and closing his mouth.

“Are you Jeralt?” I said.

He nodded. “Yes, and you’re…”

I looked at the ground. It felt weird to say it, because it probably wasn’t really my name. My birth name. “Byleth,” I said.

Jeralt gestured at the two couches at the side, so we moved to take a seat on either one. He rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. “I’m guessing you’ve met Byleth?” he said. “Er, the other one, my son.”

“Yes.” I stared at my own knees. I didn’t know where to begin, and Jeralt probably didn’t either. We sat in silence for a few seconds. I took in a deep breath and sat up. “Are we related?”

“I had a pair of twins, a boy and a girl, the boy being Byleth,” Jeralt said. “But… there was one night when my daughter disappeared.” Jeralt’s balled his hands into tight palms, clenching his jaw. “I looked everyday for a month. We visited nearby villages. Nothing. I kept hoping I’d get a ransom note, anything.” 

Disappeared…

I swallowed. “The earliest memory I have is being at an orphanage. There were two other kids. It wasn’t really an orphanage, just a kind elderly lady feeding parentless children. But she was poor. Most of the village was.”

I still remembered it like it was yesterday. The hunger pangs, rolling around on the hard ground, shivering next to the other children. The first time one of the children was adopted. We were all happy because it meant there was more food for us.

“I’m sorry,” Jeralt said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I wish I’d found you sooner.”

“Are you actually Byleth’s father?” I asked.

Jeralt laughed at that, shoulders shaking. “I hear that a lot. I know we don’t look alike. It’s because you two both take after your mother.”

You two both… 

“What’s my real name?” I said. 

“If you’re fine with being called Byleth, then just keep using it.”

Was I fine with it? After meeting Byleth - the  _ real  _ Byleth, I realized I didn’t even have my own name.

“But how did you end up being named Byleth?” Jeralt asked.

“The orphanage lady called me Byleth. When I asked her why, she said… she said that when she found me, it was the only word I knew how to say.”

Jeralt nodded. “I see. You and Byleth were close.”  
Were.... 

I stood up and cleared my throat. “Well, thanks for your time.”

Jeralt stood up too. “I’ll be working here now,” he said. “Feel free to come talk to me whenever you want.”

I stared at his golden eyes. Compared to the plank board his son was, Jeralt had a lot more emotions on his face.

I nodded, moving towards the door. “All right. Bye then.”

“Take care,” he said.

* * *

Once I’d reached the first floor again, I broke into a run. I ran for Abyss, feet pounding against the ground. I ran and ran to the makeshift classroom where Yuri usually was, screeching to a halt at the entrance.

Yuri was, as usual, studying. He had a tall stack of books beside him, and he was writing. Constance and Hapi were having tea and pastries together. Constance’s loud ohoho laughter rang through the room, but Yuri didn’t seem to mind.

I walked towards him.

Yuri didn’t look up. “So what’s the merc like?”

I was still catching my breath. “He’s…”

Yuri glanced up at me now.

“He’s my brother!”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “Your brother? Then, the other merc…”

“Is my father,” I said, rubbing my left arm. “I think. If we’re actually related.”

“That’s good news.”

“Is it?” I searched around for an empty seat. They were all out of arms-length. Constance was watching us - no doubt, curious - but Hapi was too busy eating the pastries. I reached my hand out for Yuri, and he took my hand. I squeezed his hand, perhaps with too much force. “Is… Is Rose still at home?”

“Yeah, she should be.” Yuri squeezed my hand back.

“All right.” I nodded. I released his hand and turned around to head out of the classroom, almost running into Balthus. I turned down the hallway until I heard Balthus’s voice.

“Hey, Yuri, Byleth isn’t looking so good. You sure you shouldn’t chase after her or something?”

I slowed my pace down and craned my ear to try to hear Yuri’s response. “No, she’ll be fine. She has my mother after all.”

He was right, of course. I picked up my pace again and walked back home, Rose’s home. She was at the dining table, sewing, and glanced up when I entered. She dropped the shirt on the table and ran to embrace me as the tears rolled down my cheeks.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Rose patted my back.

It was too hard to talk. I was too busy crying. But I didn’t know what was wrong. How  _ should _ I feel? Knowing that I hadn’t been abandoned? Knowing that I wasn’t unwanted? I thought I’d feel relieved, and a part of me was. But another part couldn’t help but wonder what life would have been like if I hadn’t just  _ disappeared _ . If I could look at Jeralt and call him father. If I had my own name… 

“You-You’re my family,” I sputtered out. My nose was stuffed and my vision blurry. “You’re my family.”

“I know, I know.” Rose’s arms tightened around me. “You’re like my daughter, Byleth. No. You  _ are _ my daughter.”

I nodded into her shoulder.

“You’ll always have me, dear. And Yuri.” Rose was stroking my hair. “Don’t worry. You will always belong with us.”

* * *

The other Byleth - my twin - was going to be a professor, and he was taking over for the professor who’d ran away. He was going to teach the Black Eagles house.

“This month’s mission,” Professor Manuela was telling us. “Will be a mock battle between the classes. The professors will also be part of the battle. Technically, the professors are supposed to be in charge of tactical and battle strategy, but I’ve decided that you are all perfectly capable of doing that. So, Dimitri, I’ll leave strategizing to you.”

“Yes, ma’m,” Dimitri said.

A mock battle. That meant I was going to fight Byleth. My twin.

“That’s all for announcements. Time to start class,” Professor Manuela said. I grabbed a quill and ink to take notes.

After class ended for the day, I found Byleth standing outside of my classroom. I stopped in front of him.

“What?” I said.

“Do you want to eat dinner together?” he asked. Still emotionless.

I shrugged. “Fine.”

We walked together to the cafeteria.

“What do you like to eat?” he said, when we were staring at the menu options.

“I don’t mind,” I said. I didn’t have a particular favorite food. Well, I did have a bit of a sweet tooth, but that had nothing to do with dinner.

“How about Bourgeois Pike?” Byleth pointed at the item on the menu. It sounded delicious. Gourmet fish dish? Airmid pike, vegetables, and a sprinkle of expensive spices? Hell yes. I nodded, with a little too much enthusiasm.

Just then, I saw a trace of a smile on Byleth’s lips. And just as quickly, it was gone.

We sat down together. It smelled amazing. I dug straight in with my fork. Honestly, if there was one good thing out of attending the Officer’s Academy, it was the food. Expensive, quality food for rich noble kids. It was nothing like I’d eaten before.

Byleth didn’t say anything. The cafeteria provided enough background sound anyway: clattering utensils and chattering students.

“Can professors eat with students?” I asked, when I was halfway done eating.

Byleth nodded.

“That’s not like… bribery or something unprofessional?”

Byleth shook his head. “I’m raising motivation and increasing support points.”

I had no idea what he meant by that. Besides, I wasn’t in his class, so what motivation could there be? “Do you want to spar sometime?” I asked.

Byleth nodded. “Sure.”

I grinned. “You might be a merc, but you’ve never lived on the streets like I have.”

“Do you want to eat with our father next time?” he said.

Our father. That sounded strange to hear.

“Hang on, we don’t even know if we’re actually related.” I held a hand up.

Byleth shrugged. “Then, do you want to eat with Jeralt next time?”

“The three of us?”

Byleth nodded.

“Fine,” I said.

There it was again. That ghost of a smile. It flitted onto Byleth’s face and then vanished again. I stared at him, and he stared back.

“Why are you like that?” I asked, stabbing a green vegetable that looked like a tree.

“Like what?” he said.

“Emotionless,” I said. “Or, at least, you’re very good at not showing any emotion.”

Byleth shrugged again. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t say much either,” I said and bit into the vegetable. Crunchy. He nodded in agreement to that. “What do you want from me?” 

Byleth’s eyes widened. Surprise. Then he shook his head. “I don’t want anything from you,” he said.

“That’s a lie. Everyone always wants something,” I said.

He struck that thinking pose of his, resting his face in one hand and his elbow on the table. When he sat straight up again, he said, “I want to get to know you.”

“Because we might be siblings?”

Byleth nodded. 

“All right.”

We were too full afterwards to do any sparring, and I had some assignments to finish. Byleth walked with me to my dorm room. I wasn’t sure if that was also inappropriate professor behavior.

We stopped outside, and Byleth nodded again and said, “Good night.”

“Good night,” I said. I waved and waited for him to turn around and head for his own room. Once he was gone, I entered my room, sat down at my desk, and picked up a quill pen. Time to be a student.

* * *

The next day, I walked into the classroom in Abyss. Aelfric was there, with the Ashen Wolves students surrounding him. He spotted me and smiled. 

Yuri didn’t have to turn to know it was me. He reached his hand out to brush the back of his hand against mine. The reassuring tap that I was here and he was here. We were both still alive.

“Well, I have to get going again,” Aelfric was saying. The students bid him farewell, and we watched him walk out.

Once he was gone, I turned to Yuri. “Spar with me,” I said.

“Right now?”

I nodded. It was before dinner this time. I had to practice before sparring with Byleth, or I’d look like a fool. All talk and no game.

Balthus looked at me and flexed his bicep. “I’ll spar with you, Byleth! I’ve been wanting to spar with you ever since I saw you take down that bounty hunter.”

Oh, Balthus was talking about the time when I found Yuri surrounded by thugs, asking him if he knew where Balthus was. Of course, Yuri denied even knowing who Balthus was. Then Balthus had to walk into view, and the bounty hunters jumped on him. Yuri had said that I didn’t need to intervene, that Balthus could take care of them, but I hated standing by and watching an unfair fight.

“That should do,” Yuri said.

“All right, let’s go, Balthus,” I said. Considering how defined his muscles were, I’d always want to test his strength too.  
Balthus and I walked away from the residential area of Abyss to a larger open room. Hapi followed us, saying she was bored and wanted to watch. We arrived at an arena-like room, with a tall, domed ceiling.

“This should do,” Balthus said. Hapi sat down on a nearby step, while I stretched my shoulders out. “Are we brawling? Or using weapons?”

“I’d prefer a weapon,” I said. I’d brought one of the wooden training swords with me, thinking Yuri might have one, but Balthus didn’t. There were a few rusting weapons lying about, broken axes, dull blades.

“Hm, I’ve got this axe with me,” Balthus pulled an axe from his back and grinned.

“I suppose that’ll work.” I shrugged. I gripped the wooden sword in my hand.

“Don’t go easy on me, pal,” Balthus said. 

I smiled back. “No worries.”

Then we both stepped forward to attack.

* * *

Hapi was getting bored of our sparring. To be fair, Balthus was fast. He dodged most of my attacks, and the rest he blocked. But I was fast too.

“Ugh, this will never end,” Hapi said, standing up and dusting her skirt off. “I’m leaving.”

“All right,” Balthus said, as we clashed again. He was strong. The muscles weren’t just for decoration.

I gritted my teeth. If I couldn’t defeat Balthus, I doubt I could defeat Byleth. I pushed against Balthus, then he sidestepped, throwing my balance off guard. I stumbled forward. Balthus was swinging for me. I jerked myself away, tumbling to the floor and rolling away.

“Oof.” Most of the air had been knocked out of my lungs. I scrambled back onto my feet, dark spots dotting my vision. 

“Nearly had you there,” Balthus said. “But damn, you’re fast.”

“I could say the same to you.” I was gasping for air. “I’m not finished yet,” I said, rolling my right wrist around.

Balthus grinned. “Me neither. Come on, pal!”

He swung first with his axe, but I dodged away. He was open, and I moved to tap his side with my sword, but Balthus parried my attack.

I was getting tired, my movements slowing. Even though the training sword was lighter than the iron one I usually used, my shoulders were burning. My face was dripping with sweat, and my hair was sticking to my forehead. Just five more minutes. I could do this.

There was the sound of footsteps. Lots of them. Balthus and I both stopped at the same time and looked towards the source. A group of five bounty hunters appeared, forming a circle around us.

“There he is,” one of them said with a smirk.

Oh Goddess. I sighed. Balthus’s grin only got wider. He glanced at me and said, “Whoever takes the most down wins.”

I rolled my shoulders back. “Sounds fair.”

  
The bounty hunters’ eyes were glued to Balthus.

I attacked first, swinging my sword at the nearest bounty hunter, aiming for his throat. He didn’t react fast enough and was knocked backwards, falling to the floor. Weak. They pounced on us then. I kicked one away and stabbed another. But a training sword wasn’t very sharp, more of a blunt weapon, really. The bounty hunters got back up.

Balthus had put away his axe and was beating one of the men up with his fists. I had to admire his grappling skills. I didn’t like getting so close to enemies.

I dodged one person’s lance and struck his hand with my sword. He screeched, dropping his weapon, then I stabbed his side. He crumpled to the floor.

“I got one!” I shouted over the din of clattering weapons and footsteps.

“Nice,” Balthus said. I glanced up and saw an archer in front of me, drawing his bow to aim at Balthus.

“Balthus!” I rammed my sword into the opponent between the archer and me. I had to get closer. “Watch out!”

“What?”

The archer fired. I stepped to the side and struck the arrow down. It hit the ground with a clank. I leaped up the steps. The archer was running away, shooting random arrows at me. One grazed my leg.

I stumbled, but kept going. I reached for one of my daggers and threw it. The archer screamed when the dagger landed right in his stomach. He fell to the floor, turning to aim at me.

“I got one!” Balthus yelled.

I was too busy dodging arrows to respond. I closed the gap between the archer and me, bringing my sword down on his head.There was a loud  _ crack. _ I grimaced. Blood pooled on the floor. I didn’t want to think about it. How many lives I’d already taken.

Then I saw that the training sword was splitting in half. Oh great. I threw it down and drew my own sword. The archer was unconscious though. Possibly dead.

“You good?” Balthus was still yelling. “I got two!”

I raced back to where Balthus was dodging and striking two opponents. One turned to face me. She swung her axe at me. I hopped back. 

“Byleth, watch out!” Balthus lunged forward to punch the axe person for me. 

I could tell someone was right behind me. I spun around to meet them, but not before they swung their lance. I jumped back, bumping into Axe Lady. The blade grazed my stomach. Ouch. I winced from the sting. My stomach felt warm and sticky from the blood oozing out. 

I stepped forward and knocked their lance to the side. Before they could regain control of their lance, I kicked them in the stomach. 

I turned around and saw the axe person had fallen on the ground. Balthus met my gaze with a grin. “That’s two.” He then went after the lance bounty hunter. He gave the person a few square punches in the face and stomach.

“Phew,” Balthus said, when there weren’t any signs of the bounty hunter getting up soon. “Guess we can call it a tie.”

I nodded, touching the bleeding cut on my stomach. Ouch. Luckily, it wasn’t very deep. Balthus looked at me, eyes wide.

“That doesn’t look good. Come on, let’s get out of here, and I’ll heal you up.”

Balthus held his arm out. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I grabbed his arm anyway. I leaned my weight on him, as we trudged back towards Abyss.

“Sorry about that,” Balthus said.

“Sorry...?” I winced. It hurt to talk. To move. To breathe. We stopped, and Balthus held a hand near my stomach, hand glowing as he healed the cut. “Just a bit is fine,” I said. “For it to stop bleeding.”

Thank Goddess, Balthus could heal. I needed to learn some light magic too. The wound felt warm and tingly, then the pain eased.

“Better?” Balthus asked.

I nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. “Much better. Thanks.”

We continued walking back.

I wanted to go back to my room, wash the blood off of me, but if I left without seeing Yuri, and Yuri saw Balthus and his blood-splattered clothes… Would Yuri be worried? He’d ask Balthus what happened, and Balthus would explain. Yuri would ask where I’d gone, if I was all right, and Balthus would say not to worry because he’d healed me. Would that put Yuri at ease? He’d wonder why I didn’t stop by to see him first. And he’d know it was because I hated seeing his face when he was worried -- eyebrows scrunched up, lips pressed tightly together.

Hmm, it’d be less of a hassle to just see Yuri now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	4. Sparring before the Mock Battle

Yuri was talking to a few people. One was part of our crew, and two others I hadn’t seen before. He looked at us and raised his eyebrows.

“That’s all,” Yuri was saying and dismissed the group with a wave of his hand. The group nodded and moved to leave the classroom. “What happened?” Yuri reached a hand out for me. I took his hand. “Are you all right?”

I nodded. “Balthus healed me up.” The wound would probably smart for a few days. I rolled my neck around, while Balthus told Yuri about our run-in with bounty hunters.

“I could have taken them all on by myself,” Balthus said, “but man, sparring with Byleth is tiring.”

I laughed. “I was going to say the same thing. We were both too tired by the time they showed up.”

Yuri squeezed my hand. “You sure you two are all right? I can heal you, Balthus.” He looked at my leg and then back at me.

“I’m fine, pal.” Balthus said. “Most of this blood’s not mine.”

“Same, I just want to go get food,” I said.

“Yeah, all that fighting’s made me hungry!” Balthus flexed his bicep again. “Let’s go eat, Yuri!”

Yuri smiled and nodded. “All right.”

I told them I’d just go eat at the cafeteria, like a regular student would, and left them in Abyss.

Back in my room, I washed the blood off my leg and stomach with a wet washcloth. Then I bandaged up the cuts. The one on my stomach was mostly healed. My leg actually hurt more.

I’d have to postpone sparring with Byleth tomorrow.

* * *

Byleth and I agreed to spar together before getting dinner with Jeralt on the weekend. When Saturday arrived, my leg had healed, and I was ready. In the afternoon, I met up with Byleth at the training grounds. He nodded at me as a greeting. I stretched my arms.

“Let’s do this,” I said and picked a training sword up.

Byleth nodded and took a training sword too.

Our swords clashed and clanked, blocking and dodging. Byleth was fast, maybe even faster than Balthus. Byleth’s strikes were strong and forceful, sometimes knocking me back a few steps.

A few minutes later, and I was breathless, standing out of Byleth’s sword reach. Byleth lowered his sword.

“Why aren’t you attacking?” I said.

“You need a break,” Byleth said. 

You… He didn’t need a break himself. My breaths were slowing down. I wiped at the sweat on my forehead.

“I guess I underestimated you,” I said. “You’re a lot stronger than you look.”

Byleth shook his head. “You’re strong too.”

Hah. He was trying to be nice. I gave him a wry smile. Then I lifted my training sword back up. “Let’s spar again.”

“Are you sure?” Byleth raised his sword back up too.

I nodded and lunged forward to attack.

* * *

We met up with Jeralt at the gates of Garreg Mach. We were going to eat at a restaurant in the town. Jeralt said he would treat us.

“Do you drink, Byleth?” Jeralt asked me when we sat down. I shook my head. 

“Alcohol makes it harder to fight,” I said.

Jeralt laughed. “Well, Byleth doesn’t either.” It had to be confusing that we were both going by the same name. 

Byleth and I sat on the same side of the table and looked at the menu. When the waiter came, Jeralt ordered beer for himself. I chose an interesting dish that had noodles in soup. 

“This kiddo doesn’t talk much,” Jeralt said, in regards to Byleth. “But you’re like the opposite.”

“I talk too much?” I didn’t smile back when Jeralt did.

“Yeah, it’s nice,” Jeralt said. His smile faded. “Makes me wonder what it would have been like, seeing you grow up.”

I stared at my hands on the table. “Apparently, some villagers found me in a bush, severely injured. The village doctor healed me up. They thought someone had thrown me off the cliff and that I’d landed in the bushes.”

Jeralt’s eyes widened. Then he looked at the wooden table. “I thought someone kidnapped you, for ransom money. Back then, man, it was rough keeping tabs on you two and trying to work as a merc. But I would never-” Jeralt shook his head.

“I know,” I said. I believed him. I wanted to, anyway. 

I picked up my cup of warm barley tea and took a sip. Byleth was watching me but didn’t say anything. I wondered what went on in his head. I smirked at him and said, “You must have had a boring childhood without me.”

Byleth smiled and nodded. I almost spat out my tea. I thought he’d keep his deadpan expression and shrug.

Jeralt smiled too. “Yeah, you two were close,” he said.

“So, why’d Rhea appoint you as a professor?” I asked. 

While Byleth was explaining, the waiter returned with our food. It was warm and delicious, and the restaurant was just noisy enough that silence wasn’t awkward.

Jeralt shared some stories about being a mercenary. He told me about how he enjoyed fishing and drinking. Byleth was quiet, nodding now and then. Jeralt then asked me how I ended up at the monastery, as a student at the Academy.

“I have a friend, who got adopted by a Count, whose helping pay for the tuition,” I said. Jeralt nodded. He probably thought my friend was an orphan like me.

“Rhea told me she recognized you when she saw you,” Jeralt said. “You really look a lot like your mother.”

I touched my hair, at shoulder-length and blue. It was true I’d never met anyone else with hair this color, except for Byleth. Most people had plain brown hair color.

We finished eating, and Jeralt paid. Then we walked back to Garreg Mach.

“Hey,” Jeralt said to me. “If you need anything, just let me know, got it? You can usually find me in the Captain’s Quarters.”

I nodded.

Jeralt smiled. “You’ve got twenty some years of favors to catch up on, so don’t hesitate.”

I smiled back. “Thanks.”

* * *

We were probably going to lose the mock battle. After sparring with Byleth, it was clear he was a lot stronger than… well most people.

Today was the mock battle. The three classes filed to a nearby open plain for the battle. Dimitri had gone over a few battle tactics with us the day before. He’d be leading our class. We got into position, and then Jeralt - who was overseeing the mock battle - started the battle.

Dimitri, Dedue, Mercedes, Ashe, and I were on the field. Professor Manuela opted to sit out of the battle and heal students who were defeated. The Black Eagles house had Byleth, Edelgard, Hubert, Ferdinand, and Lindhardt.

We waited for the Black Eagles house to advance closer before engaging. Dedue, Dimitri, and I took the front lines. Dimitri and Edelgard clashed, while Dedue fought with Ferdinand. Except Hubert was blasting Dedue with dark magic, and Dedue was taking lots of damage.

I tried to pursue Hubert, but Byleth was in the way. I’d known this would happen. Our swords met with a clatter.

“Ashe! Try to take out Hubert,” Dimitri shouted. Ashe nodded and moved. Mercedes was busy healing Dedue up.

Byleth’s expression was calm. Almost cold. I tried to land a hit but Byleth dodged. He swung back but I blocked. 

Byleth was hitting harder and swinging faster than when we’d sparred. Is this what truly fighting the Ashen Demon looked like? I tried to dodge but wasn’t fast enough and Byleth’s sword scraped across my chest. Ouch.

“Dedue!” Dimitri called. I had no idea how he was keeping track of the battle considering he and Edelgard were at each other’s throats.

Ashe had taken Hubert out. But not before Hubert took Dedue out. And now, Ferdinand was moving past Dimitri and me to attack Ashe. Mercedes was healing Dimitri. 

I gritted my teeth and aimed for Byleth again. He blocked. I’d rather be helping someone else. It’d be faster if we all ganged up on one person. A bit rough, I suppose, but it’d get the job done.

“Hang on, Ashe, I’ll try to heal you,” Mercedes was saying. I couldn’t see what was going on behind me, but I could hear Ashe grunting, and Ferdinand introducing himself.

Then, Byleth stepped back and turned towards Dimitri. Dimitri’s lance was up against Edelgard’s axe. 

Oh no.

Byleth swung his sword at Dimitri. I leaped forward, trying to block with my own sword. Byleth’s sword dug into my shoulder instead, and I crashed into Dimitri. At least this knocked Edelgard off balance too, surprised by our sudden appearance. Dimitri and Edelgard both disengaged.

“Fall back,” Dimitri said to me. “Help Ashe. Mercedes can heal you!”

There was no way Dimitri could handle both Byleth and Edelgard. But maybe if I helped Ashe with Ferdinand, then we could regroup.

I nodded and dashed away. Ashe was looking pretty rough. Mercedes was attacking Ferdinand with light magic too. But Ferdinand swung his lance, jabbing Ashe in the stomach, and Ashe fell to the ground.

“Out!” someone yelled. A knight rushed over to help Ashe off the battlefield.

Ferdinand was turning to face Mercedes. Oh no, if Mercedes got knocked out, we’d really be in trouble.

My own injuries were burning. Mercedes saw me running over. Then I felt warm and saw light fluttering around me. She was healing me.

“I’ll take care of Ferdinand,” I said. Mercedes nodded and moved towards Dimitri.

“I’m Ferdinand von Aegir,” Ferdinand said and brandished his lance towards me with a smile.

“Pleasure to meet you,” I said.

Ferdinand wasn’t as fast as Byleth. I landed a hit first. Ferdinand’s lance poked my side once, then my sword hit his chest. Ferdinand doubled backwards. Ouch, this mock battle was definitely hurting.

Ferdinand’s next swing was sloppy and easy to dodge. I hit his back with my sword and Ferdinand fell to his knees. He wasn’t one to give up easily though, and rammed his lance against my shin.

I winced, stumbling back. Ow. Biting my bottom lip, I dashed towards Ferdinand and struck him with my sword in the stomach.

“Oof,” he said.

“Out!” someone yelled and a knight appeared to escort Ferdinand off.

Dimitri was still fighting with Edelgard. Byleth was attacking Mercedes. This wasn’t looking great. I could feel blood on my leg, as I limped towards Mercedes. She was fighting Byleth off with Nosferateu, which was healing her too.

But it wasn’t enough, and Mercedes fell.

Byleth turned to me. 

“Well, I had a feeling your house would win,” I said, gritting my teeth from the aching pain everywhere. My chest, my shoulder, my leg. Ow ow ow ow.

Byleth nodded. “Not an easy win though.”

Then I swung at him.

It was like Byleth could see the future. He avoided my attack and knocked my sword out of my hands. Then he pointed his sword at my neck.

“Out!” someone said.

I see. In a way, he was being merciful. Sparing me from one more hit. I picked up my sword and limped off towards the tent, where Professor Manuela was healing everyone up. I didn’t have to look behind me to know that Dimitri would be following soon.

I joined the other students at the tent. Professor Manuela was healing Ferdinand. There was one other nurse who was healing Mercedes.

“Good job out there,” Mercedes said to me with a smile.

“Same to you,” I said, nodding.

Dimitri hobbled into the tent and sat down with us. He smiled at us.

I was mostly healed up when Jeralt declared that the mock battle winner was the Black Eagles house. No one was surprised.

After everyone was healed enough, our classes regrouped to have a joint meal in the cafeteria. The professors tried to break up the classes. I ended up sitting near Claude, Bernadetta, and Dedue. Bernadetta and Dedue were both quiet as they ate. Claude, on the other hand, rested an elbow on the table and looked me in the eye with a smile.

“So, you’re the professor’s twin sister,” he said.

I nodded. I’d rather join Dedue and Bernadetta in the quiet club. I was eating grilled pheasant and roasted vegetables.

“What are your plans after graduating?” Claude asked. “You should come join me in the Alliance.”

“Doing what?” I said. There were grapes in the middle of the table, and Bernadetta was plucking a grape off one after another.

Claude shrugged. “I think you’d make a good advisor.” He winked. “Certainly, a beautiful one.” I didn’t smile, just stared at him. He laughed and said, “I’m joking! Chill, Byleth.”

“I didn’t think you were the sleazy type,” I said.

“I’m not,” Claude said, leaning forward. He had an earnest smile on his face, but it didn’t seem genuine. Yuri used that kind of smile all of the time. “I’m just trying to figure out how to win you over. You’re clearly strong.”

“Not as strong as Byleth,” I said, nodding towards the Professor, who was eating at another table. “Why don’t you go and win him over?”

“Ah, the Princess already took him. Besides, I think you’re more interesting.”

I didn’t want to be interesting. I didn’t like the way Claude was staring at me, like he wanted to study me. I shifted in my seat and glanced towards Dedue. Dedue looked back, then at Claude, then said, “His Highness wants Byleth’s assistance too.”

Oh, Dedue was going to save me!

I turned back to Claude and nodded, perhaps too vigorously. “Yes, yup, exactly what he said. I’m already going to help Prince Dimitri.”

Claude frowned, sitting back. “Too bad. Well, if you ever change your mind, my offer still stands. I could use someone like you.”

I didn’t want to be  _ used _ . I didn’t say anything and just chewed on a carrot. I could feel Bernadetta’s eyes on me. When I looked at her, though, she jumped in her seat and lowered her head to keep munching on the grapes.

What a strange group… 

* * *

The day after the mock battle, I went down to Abyss. I’d finished my greenhouse duties and had my books and assignments in my arms. Constance was the only one in the classroom, though.

“Looking for Yuri?” Constance asked with a smile.

I nodded. Then paused. Maybe I shouldn’t have let Constance know that. Usually, I wouldn’t give myself away like that.

“Sorry, I can’t help. I haven’t seen him all day,” Constance said.

“That’s okay. Thanks,” I said and left the room. I tried the boy’s dorm room next. No one there. Then, Rose’s house. Rose was out too, probably shopping in town. I sat down at the dining table and got to working on my assignments.

My body was still aching from yesterday’s injuries, especially my leg. I’d taken a look yesterday. There were more and more scars criss-crossing my skin.

It was mid-afternoon when Rose returned, carrying a crate full of vegetables.

“Oh, Byleth!” Rose smiled at me. I shoved my books to the side so she could set the box down. “Phew!”

“You could have asked me for help, you know,” I said, standing up.

“I’m not too weak to carry some ingredients,” Rose said. She took the meat and the vegetables and placed them in the icebox in the corner. “Are you working on homework?”

“Yeah.” I tried not to sigh. It wasn’t fun. I put the tea leaves away. “Have you seen Yuri?”

Rose dusted her hands on her skirt. “Not today. He came by yesterday for dinner.”

Hm… where had he gone? We finished putting the rest of the groceries away: some pickled vegetables, jerky, and a bottle of milk. I’d made enough progress on my assignments that I thought I could lounge around.

“I guess I’ll come back later then,” I said.

“Of course, come back whenever you want,” Rose said. She reached a hand out and squeezed my shoulder.

I returned my books and papers to my room. Then I wandered around the monastery grounds. Byleth was fishing, reeling in fish after fish.

“Lots of fish today,” the pond caretaker told me when I walked by.

I walked through the main hall towards the cathedral. There were even more worshippers on the weekends.

I was nearing the bridge to the cathedral when a voice called for me from the right, “Oh, Byleth!”

Aelfric was waving at me. I walked towards him. “Hello,” I said.

“Good afternoon,” Aelfric said with a smile. “Would you care to visit your mother’s grave with me?”

My mother?

I must have looked confused because Aelfric said, “Sitri, that’s your mother, isn’t it? She and Jeralt met and married here at the monastery.”

“You knew her? And she’s buried here?” I asked.

Aelfric nodded and motioned for me to follow him. I did. We went down a set of stairs to a small cemetery. Aelfric stopped in front of one tombstone. Sitri Eisner. So Eisner was my last name too?

“I’m glad I got the chance to show you,” Aelfric said. “Maybe you could leave flowers for her now and then.”

I nodded. I suppose, even though I didn’t ever get the chance to meet her.

“How is being a student going so far?” Aelfric smiled at me. The sun was warm against our faces. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Ah, well, Yuri asked me to help fund your tuition.”

Yuri asked Aelfric?! I thought he said he’d struck a deal with Rhea. My eyes only widened further. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Did he not tell you?” Aelfric seemed just as surprised as me. “He said he needed someone to help pay for half of the tuition.” So Rhea was paying for half and Aelfric was paying for the other half?

“What did you get in return?” I said.

Aelfric laughed, as if that was a joke. “Yuri’s leading the Ashen Wolves class, of course. I asked him to help the other students out, give them study materials and tasks to help them learn. I think it benefits everyone.”

“That’s… very gracious of you,” I said.

“I want to help the kids too,” Aelfric said and smiled at the grave in front of us. “We should always help people less fortunate than us. Sitri would have done the same, I’m sure.”

I see… First my brother and father appear out of nowhere and now my deceased mother too. The words on the tombstone were fading.

“If there’s anything I can do to help you, Byleth, let me know,” Aelfric said.

“Thank you,” I said. It was odd hearing such offers so much recently. First, Jeralt, now Aelfric. Who was next? Rhea? Professor Manuela?

“I owe your mother a great deal,” Aelfric said.

Great. Cool. I forced a smile. “Thanks for helping fund my tuition, Aelfric. Sir.” I wasn’t sure what title he had.

Aelfric chuckled. “Just Aelfric is fine, Byleth.”

“I should get going,” I said.

“Of course, good bye,” he said.

I went back up the steps and continued on my way to the training grounds.

* * *

For several days now, when I’d gone to Abyss, I couldn’t find Yuri. Rose didn’t have a much better idea either. I asked some of our crew members.

“Yuri boss? I haven’t seen him around too much,” Barold said, scratching the back of his head. “He’s talking to a lot of people, ya know?”

I didn’t know. Who was Yuri talking to and why?

It was probably the fifth day in the row that I couldn’t find Yuri, and it was getting late. I just wanted to see him. If only there was some kind of magic to find someone. What if he wasn’t even alive anymore?

No, no, Rose had seen him just two days ago.

I checked the boy’s dorm room one last time. Empty. Well, since no one was here, I may as well wait here. I had one book with me that I had to read for tomorrow. Maybe Yuri would show up before I was done. I crawled into Yuri’s bed. It smelled like Yuri, like lilies and earth.

Lying on my stomach, I opened the textbook and started reading. It was a very boring book about weaponry. The chapter I was reading was about bows, about string tension, arrow weight, and different arrow heads. To be fair, it wasn’t that boring. The reading was just very dry and technical. There were lots of big words everywhere and jargon that I couldn’t keep up with.

My eyelids were getting heavy. It was warm under the blanket. The pillow was soft and cushiony too.

It’d be okay if I closed my eyes for a bit, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double post this week. Thanks for reading! :)


	5. Making Promises and Meeting Edelgard

There was a clack. The sound of a door opening. I wanted to wake myself up but I was so comfortable. The bed was so soft, the blanket so warm, and I was so tired.

I felt the bed dip. Someone must have sat down. A cool hand touched my face. My eyes snapped open, and I jolted up.

Yuri was sitting on the bed, looking at me. He smiled. “Hello.”

My shoulders relaxed. I was safe. “Yuri! I haven’t seen you in almost a week,” I said and pushed him.

“Sorry about that,” he said.

It was all right. I rested my forehead against his shoulder. It was just nice to see him. To know that he was okay. When Yuri had first been adopted by Count Rowe, when he left the village to go live in a posh mansion, when he’d steal out once a month to come back and visit us… That had been rough. I’d seriously considered applying to work at Count Rowe’s place, as a guard, or a maid, anything.

Yuri didn’t say anything. That reminded me of my conversation with Aelfric.

“Oh yeah, I met Aelfric again,” I said, sitting back up. “Apparently, he’s funding part of my tuition?”

Yuri nodded. “Yes.”

I drew my knees up towards my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs. “Why, Yuri? Do you really think this Academy will do any good for me? What am I going to do after I graduate?”

“You can do whatever you want.” Yuri shrugged.

“What will you do?” I asked. The only thing I wanted to do was to stay with Yuri. Even as a bandit thief, a partner in crime. I didn’t care. If anyone ever wanted to execute Yuri, they’d have to execute me first.

“I’m not sure yet, but I want to help the people here,” Yuri said.

“Who are all the people you’re talking to?” I was staring at my knees.

“People.”

“Shocking,” I said with a humorless grin. “I thought you were talking to ghosts.”

Yuri smiled. “They’re just common folk who live here in Abyss.”

The door opened, and Balthus walked in. “Oh hey, you two!” he said. His shirt was bloodstained again. “You mind if I change?”

I shook my head. “That’s fine.”

Yuri stood up. “Give the man some privacy.” He held his hand out towards me. “Come on, Byleth. Let’s talk elsewhere.”

I sighed and crawled out of bed, taking my book with me. “See you around, Balthus.”

“See ya, pal!” Balthus replied.

We closed the door behind us.

“Maybe you guys should get a lock on the door,” I said. Yuri laughed and agreed. We went to Rose’s house. It was dark inside. She must have been asleep. Yuri struck a match and lit the lantern on the dining table. The small flame cast our shadows against the wall.

“Listen, Byleth,” Yuri said, keeping his voice low. “You should stay clear of Abyss for some time.”

“Why?” I folded my arms over my chest.

“Just…” Yuri’s gaze darted around, but there was no one else in the room.

“Are you going to tell Rose to move out too?” I asked.

Yuri shook his head and sighed. “Just be careful, okay?”

“What’s going on?” My eyes narrowed.

“I don’t know everything yet, but I will soon. So, for now, promise me you’ll be more careful?” Yuri said.

I huffed. “I’m always careful.”

“I wouldn’t call falling asleep in my bed as being careful.” Yuri smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

“Well, I don’t need to be careful around you,” I said.

“You should. Starting now, anyway.”

“You’ll tell me, later, right?”

Yuri nodded. “Of course.” He stepped closer, until he could rest his forehead against mine. Yuri’s hand found mine, and our fingers intertwined. Even with the dim lighting, when we were standing this close, I could see Yuri’s eyelashes. “I promise.” 

That wasn’t fair. That was  _ so _ not fair.

I sighed and pulled away. “Fine. I promise to be careful.”

* * *

Fortunately, classwork kept me busy. I visited Abyss once a week to eat dinner with Rose and Yuri, but otherwise I stayed away. There was training to do, assignments to complete, and chores to attend to. I had shopping duty once with Dedue. Then I had kitchen duty the next week with Felix. Considering the tuition costs, the Academy sure knew how to use the students for labor.

Sometimes, Mercedes and Annette would invite Ingrid and I to an afternoon tea party, where we’d eat delicious sweets that Mercedes had baked herself. That was fun. We’d chat about classes and homework and life. They were surprised to hear that I was an orphan and that I hadn’t known about Byleth and Jeralt’s existences until coming to Garreg Mach. I was surprised to learn that Mercedes were originally from the Empire. And they all had experiences with unwanted arranged marriages.

“Our mission this month will be to take care of some thieves that have been pillaging towns,” Professor Manuela said. A rather standard mission.

During our ten minute break,  Annette leaned towards Mercedes and me and said, “I heard Professor Byleth’s class is going with some knights to investigate a Western Church rebellion.”

Ashe wasn’t looking so great. He was pale, and he kept fidgeting with his hands.

Ingrid’s forehead creased. “I heard the rebellion’s led by Lord Lonato.”

“I don’t understand.” Ashe just shook his head sadly. “Lord Lonato would never…” 

“I’m so sorry, Ashe,” Mercedes said.

“Our mission seems a lot easier in comparison,” Sylvain said, stretching his arms behind his head. “Not that I’m complaining.”

“Hmph,” was all Felix said.

On the weekend leading to the mission, Byleth invited me to eat lunch with Edelgard at the cafeteria.

“Professor, what’s the meaning of this?” Edelgard said, when she saw us sitting at the table.

Byleth nodded.

“I think he wants us to be friends,” I said, and Byleth nodded again.

“I thought it might be nice,” he said.

Edelgard looked at me and smiled. “Well, I suppose I haven’t formally introduced myself to you yet. I’m Edelgard von Hresvelg, heir to the Adrestian Empire.”

I knew that. “I’m Byleth,” I said. “Eisner. I guess. I don’t know yet.”

Edelgard smiled like I’d said something funny. “You don’t know yet? Aren’t you the Professor’s twin sister?”

I looked at Byleth, who sat across the table from us. “There’s no proof.”

“Looking like twins isn’t enough?” Edelgard said. “You could do a blood test. I’m sure Professor Hanneman would do that for you.”

Byleth nodded. A blood test didn’t sound very fun. I rested my arms on the table and leaned forward. “I suppose we’re twins,” I said. “So, Edelgard, what plans do you have for the Empire?”

We started eating.

“I have lots of plans,” Edelgard said.

“Such as?”

“Now’s not the best time to discuss politics,” Edelgard said. I thought I could sense someone staring at me. I glanced behind. There was indeed someone staring at me. Hubert, to be exact, almost glaring at me.

“Is that concerning?” I turned back around and pointed behind me.

Edelgard didn’t turn around. “No, don’t worry. I’ll talk to Hubert after this.”

“Does he think I’m a threat?” I asked.

Edelgard shook her head. “What kind of plans do you think I should have? If you could change the world, what would you do?” Edelgard was looking at Byleth, though. “Professor? I’d love to hear your thoughts too.”

I thought about her question. What would I change? Hmm, well, there was a lot of fighting going on. Lots of crime, bandits, thieves, the like. But there were lots of bandits and thieves because they were forced into a position where the only way to make money was through crime. 

“I think more government support for the poor would be nice,” I said.

Byleth nodded.

“And what do you think of the Crest system?” Edelgard asked. “If I’m not wrong, you don’t have a crest, right?”

I nodded. “I’m a commoner.”

“And you, Professor?” Edelgard turned to Byleth.

Byleth shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Edelgard’s mouth dropped open. “Well, Professor Hanneman will find out for you soon.”

“Any class system like Crests is pretty terrible if you ask me,” I said.

Byleth nodded. “I agree. The world could be a better place without Crests, or the emphasis placed on it.”

Edelgard’s eyes lit up, and she leaned forward. “Right? I think so, too.”

Edelgard proceeded to tell us about how the current Crest system was detrimental for everyone. How instead of weighing people by their skills and merits, society was weighing by Crests. How that gave a select few at the very top all the power.

“But you have a Crest,” I said.

“I do,” Edelgard said.

“So do you think the Crest system is bad for those with Crests too?” I asked.

“Of course.” Edelgard listed stories of how nobles would pick their heirs based on Crests, how nobles would pick suitors based on crests, how that disadvantaged those without Crests and put unfair pressure on those with Crests.

It was a very solid argument. She’d clearly done her homework.

Byleth listened intently while looking Edelgard in the eye. It was like he was lapping up every word she said.

We finished our meal and took our plates back to the counter.

“I’m sorry. I’ve rambled the entire time,” Edelgard said with a sheepish smile.

“I thought it was interesting,” I said. 

Byleth nodded, a small smile appearing on his face. Edelgard’s smile grew wider, relief causing her shoulders to drop.

Edelgard turned to me. “Well, Byleth, I’d be more than happy to get to know you more.”

“Likewise,” I said, because I wasn’t sure what else to say. Well, what was wrong with being friends with the next Emperor? Maybe I could find a legitimate job.

“I must get going now. Have a good day, Professor and Byleth.” Edelgard bowed farewell to us and walked off. Hubert fell into step beside her, and the two left the cafeteria.

“See you later then, Byleth,” I said, waving at Byleth. He nodded and waved back, still smiling.

* * *

The next day, I ran into Byleth on my way to the stables. 

“I’m going fishing,” he told me. “Care to join me?”

“I can for a bit,” I said. I had stable duty, had to brush some horses, and feed them some hay. Byleth and I both picked up a fishing rod. He showed me how to put the bait on the hook. 

We sat at the edge of the dock for a few minutes in silence. It was another warm spring day, the sun beating down upon our heads. We stared into the water, waiting for a bite.

Then Byleth said, “I’m going to need your help.”

“Doing what? Cooking the fish?” I asked. Something tugged on my line. There was a small fish nibbling at the bait. “Oh! There’s a fish.”

Byleth nodded. “Wait.”

I waited. Then, the fish chomped down on the bait and hook.

“Now,” Byleth said. I yanked hard at the pole. The line and fish flew out of the pond, splashing us with water. Byleth caught the fish with his left hand. I was quite impressed, considering how slippery it probably was.

“Sorry, fishy,” I said, as he took the wriggling fish off the hook. Byleth picked up a nearby knife and showed me how to gut and clean the fish. Then we placed it in a bucket full of ice and covered the top.

“Not with cooking the fish,” Byleth said. I was placing new bait on my hook.

“Oh?”

“I’m going to need your help with something else,” he said. His voice was soft.

“With what?”

Byleth shook his head. “I don’t know yet.”

Interesting... “Okay,” I said.

“A mission a few months from now,” Byleth said. “I’ll need your help then for sure.”

“You mean, the monthly missions we get?”

Byleth nodded.

“Okay,” I said. Rhea had given Byleth special rights to temporarily invite a student from another class to help him in battles. It was probably because he was a new professor. Of course, students could decline, but I think most students were eager to watch Byleth in battle.

“Thank you,” Byleth said.

I chuckled. “You should wait until after I’ve helped you to say that.”

Byleth flashed one of his small smiles at me. He was growing on me. I wasn’t sure if I liked that.

A fish bit Byleth’s line, and he pulled the fish out. I caught another one and tried to gut and clean the fish myself. I almost cut the fish clean in half. Byleth took over.

“Well, thanks for the fishing invite, but I have some horses to tend to,” I said.

Byleth nodded. “See you,” he said.

“See you, Professor,” I said and headed off for the stables.

* * *

Our class’s monthly mission went smoothly. There weren’t too many bandits to take down to begin with. Then we returned to the monastery.

“Do you think Professor Byleth’s class is back?” Ashe asked us, as we were walking to the classroom.

“Maybe,” Sylvain said, arms crossed behind his head.

Dimitri peeked his head into the Black Eagles classroom for Ashe, then shook his head at us. “They’re not back yet.”

We filed into the classroom so Professor Manuela could give us a quick summary of our mission. “I think you all were splendid,” Professor Manuela said with a smile. “That’s all. Class is dismissed. Have a good weekend!”

That was short.

We left the classroom again. I said farewell to my classmates then went to my room to take a nice nap.

I woke up to someone knocking on my door. “Byleth? You in there?”

I sat up, still groggy from sleep. “Who is it?” I rubbed at my eyes and swung my legs off my bed. I opened the door to find Ingrid standing outside.

“I just thought you’d want to know,” she said. “Professor Byleth’s back, and Lord Lonato’s dead.”

Our class congregated in the cathedral around Ashe. He wasn’t crying, but he sat in the pew, head down.

Poor guy. From what I’d heard, he’d really looked up to Lord Lonato. 

Annette and Mercedes were sitting on either side of Ashe, doing their best to comfort him. Felix and Sylvain were here too, but they shuffled back and forth on their feet. I didn’t know what to do. I just stood there, next to Ingrid and Dedue.

“I’m sorry, Ashe.” The words came out in a whisper. I doubt he heard me.

Ashe raised his head. “It’s okay, everyone.” He tried to smile. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll bake you some sweets,” Mercedes said.

“Yes, and let’s eat dinner together,” Annette said.

“If he wants to be left alone, then let’s leave him alone,” Dimitri cut in. He looked Ashe in the eye and his voice softened. “But if you want anything, Ashe, just let us know.”

Ashe smiled. This time it didn’t look as forced. “Thank you, everyone.”

I went to Abyss, after that. I went to look for Yuri. He was talking to a merchant when I arrived, and he glanced at me as I approached.

“Hey there, beautiful,” he said with a smirk.

I smiled back. “Hello, handsome. Fancy running into you here.”

Yuri held something out to me, something he’d just bought, a small knife. “Here.”

I looked at the blade in his palm then back at him. “What?”

“It’s for you. Didn’t you lose your other dagger during your last mission?”

“Oh, I got that back from the Knights,” I said.

“Well, take it anyway,” he said. I relented, and he passed the knife over.

“Where am I going to put it?”

“Somewhere no one can find it,” Yuri said. He turned to walk away, and I followed him. “So what are you doing here?”

“To see you, of course.” I held the handle of the knife between my thumb and index finger, studying the blade. It was the size of one of my fingers. 

Yuri chuckled. “I’m flattered.”

What good would this small of a knife be? I could probably tuck it in my shoe. Or… I glanced down at my shirt. If I could make a safe enough hilt to store it in… No one would look there. They shouldn’t, anyway.

We entered Rose’s home. She was cooking dinner. It smelled like fish and butter and spices. “Hey, Byleth! How was your mission this month?”

“Oh, easy,” I said. I went to give her a hug. It was reassuring to see Rose and Yuri. To know that they were still alive. I was lucky -- so lucky. My heart felt warm and full, and I spun around to give Yuri a hug too.

His eyes widened, and he took a step back when I threw my arms around him. “Wah, Byleth!” Yuri said. Rose giggled.

“I’m just happy to see you,” I said. I didn’t want to think about how I’d feel if I was in Ashe’s position, losing the closest thing to a parent figure he’d ever had. If I ever lost Rose… 

Yuri patted my back. “Are you done?”

I released him and stepped back. Yuri had regained his composure, the calm resettling upon his face. I smirked. “Caught you off-guard, hm?”

Yuri laughed. “Not in a million years, friend.”

I thought he was lying.

* * *

Next month’s mission was to help guard the monastery. During the weekends, I saw Byleth running around the monastery. He was investigating potential places that someone might be interested in.

“So, what did you find?” I asked him while we were having tea together.

“The Holy Mausoleum,” Byleth said.

“And that’s where your class is going to be guarding?”

Byleth nodded.

My class was going to be patrolling the second and third floors of the monastery. There’d be a few other knights, but we weren’t expecting anyone anyway.

“Do you want to join us?” Byleth asked.

I shook my head. “No, that’s okay.” If Byleth was right, and there was going to be a fight, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be there. What if I died? Byleth had already shown me that I wasn’t as strong as I’d liked to think.

“But what would they want from the Holy Mausoleum?” I blew at the hot tea then took a sip.

“Serios’s remains,” Byleth said, in a low voice.

“What?” I set the cup down with a loud clatter. 

Byleth leaned forward. “Don’t tell anyone,” he said.

I leaned forward too. “But how do you know that?”

Byleth didn’t say anything for a second, just staring at me. Then he shrugged and sat back. “It’s a hunch.”

That wasn’t a hunch. He’d sounded so sure, so confident. Serios’s remains? What would anybody want with that? I shuddered at the thought of the century-old bones.

“Well, I hope you’re careful,” I said. “And I hope you’re wrong, for your sake.”

Byleth smiled at me. “Thank you.”

* * *

We had more quizzes and more assignments. One weekend, Professor Manuela actually took our class out to battle. “Practice battles,” she called them. We did a mock battle with some of the knights. Then we did a real battle taking out some thieves.

Our class studied together some more at the library. It was actually kind of fun. We’d quiz each other and share notes. It was a lot easier than studying by myself. Then, after an hour or two, we’d go and get dinner together in the cafeteria.

After that, we’d continue studying but in the grand hall instead, since it was closer. Sometimes a few of us would go to the training grounds and train together. It kept me busy. That was the most important part.

The Rite of Rebirth rolled around, and our class took up our places in the second and third floors. It was quiet here, since most people were at the ceremony. Professor Manuela was sitting in the infirmary grading papers.

“I guess we’re not getting any unwanted visitors,” Sylvain said. Dedue nodded.

“That’s good,” Dimitri said. We wandered the halls back and forth. Even the library was empty. There were two other Knights on the second floor, the ones who typically stood guard outside of Rhea’s visiting room.

Two hours later, the ceremony ended, and we left our stations. A Knight ran up to us.

“We didn’t see anyone suspicious,” Professor Manuela said, carrying a bundle of papers in one hand.

“That’s good to hear,” the Knight said. “Apparently, Professor Byleth’s class found intruders in the Holy Mausoleum!”

So Byleth was spot on.

“Do they need assistance?” Manuela’s mouth dropped open.

The knight shook her head. “The Black Eagles class took care of the intruders. And Catherine ran over to help them. The intruders were after Saint Serios’s remains!”

What?

“What would they want with those?” Dimitri asked.

“But Saint Serios’s remains weren’t even there!” the Knight said. 

Mercedes held a hand up to cover her opened mouth. “Oh my!”

“There was a sword instead,” the Knight said. “A Hero’s Relic. The Sword of the Creator. And Professor Byleth can wield it.”

“What?” several of my classmates said at the same time.

“Then, Professor Byleth’s Crest… is the same as Nemesis’s?” Dimitri said. 

The Knight nodded. “Must be. What’s even crazier is that the Relic is missing its Crest stone, but somehow the Professor has no problem using it.”

Crest stone… What was that?

Everyone was buzzing with excitement.

“Is that even possible?” I heard someone say.

“All right, all right,” Professor Manuela clapped her hands together to get our attention. “Thanks for the information. Good work today, everyone. Class is dismissed.”

Our class went to the dining hall to get dinner. The monastery was crawling with people, mostly common worshippers.

“So, what’s a Crest Stone?” I asked Annette as we got our food and searched for an open table. There were none, so we went to the grand hall. 

“You don’t know?” Annette said, but then proceeded to explain. “Crest Stones are the main source of power for a relic. Without a Crest Stone, it’s really difficult to use a Hero’s relic, because they’re so heavy. Of course, to be able to use a Crest Stone, you have to have the matching Crest too.”

I nodded. That made sense. It explained why everyone was so shocked that Byleth was using the Relic without a Crest Stone. But then, how was he doing that? How had he known what the intruders were after? What was he hiding?

We finally found an empty table in the grand hall to sit down and eat. Everyone was wondering how in the world Professor Byleth could use the Sword of the Creator.

“Does that mean you could have a Crest too?” Dimitri asked me.

I shrugged. “As far as I can tell, I don’t have one.”

“Has Professor Hanneman asked you about your Crest?” Anette asked me. I shook my head. I haven’t said much to Professor Hanneman. 

“Guess you don’t have one then,” Sylvain said. “Otherwise Hanneman would probably be bugging you about it.”

It didn’t surprise me. Everyone could see that there was something special about Byleth. People weren’t exaggerating when they said he was good at fighting. And though he’d never taught before, he was doing a good job. It was clear his students adored him and were learning fast.

After we finished eating, we returned our plates to the cafeteria, then bid goodnight to each other. I was approaching my room when I saw Byleth leaning against one of the support poles outside my room.

He straightened up when he saw me. There was a large, shiny new sword on his belt. New wasn’t quite the word for it, though. It had to be the Hero’s Relic, the Sword of the Creator.

“Nice new sword,” I said with a smile.

Byleth just nodded, not a trace of a smile on his face. It was already getting dark. The sun had set, leaving only faint streaks of red-orange light in the sky.

“So you were right,” I said. Byleth nodded again. He must have wanted to say something to me, but instead he turned away.

“Good night,” he said.

I didn’t really understand. “Good night,” I said. He nodded again and then walked away. Strange… Hadn’t he been waiting here for me? Otherwise, what was he doing just standing there? Maybe he was spacing out.

I shrugged and entered my room. Something was going on, and Byleth knew it. But for now, I had an essay to write.


	6. Meeting Flayn and Byleth's favor

There was a knock on my door. "Who is it?" I asked, while getting up from my desk.

"Byleth," a familiar voice said. I opened the door. Sure enough, Byleth was standing outside. We stood there, at the doorway, for a minute, while I waited for Byleth to explain why he was here. "Can I come in?"

"Is that appropriate professor behavior?" I said, but stepped aside to make room for him. Byleth nodded. "If you say so, Professor." I closed the door behind him. It was the day after the Rite of Rebirth. I sat down at my desk chair and crossed my arms. "So, what do you want?"

"I need your help," Byleth said.

"Yes, you've said that before." I nodded. "What is it?"

"Do you know Flayn?"

Flayn… I shook my head. "Who's that? Not a student, right?"

Byleth nodded. "Green hair, Seteth's sister."

"Oh!" I'd seen someone like that. There were only two green-haired people around, and that was Seteth and that one girl. "I know who you're talking about, but I've never talked to her."

"Do you think you could keep an eye on her this month?"

"Like, follow her around?"

"Just near the end of the month will do," Byleth said, striking his thinking pose. "And Professor Manuela and Jeritza too."

"What's going on with these three people?" I asked.

Byleth dropped his arms back to his side and shook his head. "Just… if you could watch them a bit more than usual, at the end of this month."

"What do you think is going to happen?" I asked. He had to know. He knew. That was why he was asking me for help. He knew something was going to happen, but he wouldn't tell me what. Or why.

"I… don't know," he said. That was a lie. It had to be!

"Are you physic? Can you see the future?"

Byleth shook his head.

"Then, where are you getting all of this information?"

Byleth shook his head again. "I can't tell you."

I sighed and stared at the wall off to the side. Did I trust him enough to do this random favor? I turned back to Byleth. "Fine. I'll do it. I'll watch those three."

Byleth nodded. "Thank you."

"You really won't tell me what's going to happen?"

Byleth nodded. Then, he paused for a second and said, "Just be careful." He turned and opened the door. "Have a good day." Before I could respond, he'd left, and the door slid shut with a quiet thud.

We were briefed on this month's mission the next day. Since most of the Knights were taking care of the Western Church rebellion, we were going to help escort some priests to a church in Airmid. It wasn't too far from Garreg Mach, so we'd be back by the end of the day. We weren't expecting to run into anyone, but the Church wanted to be careful.

Byleth's class's mission was to retrieve a Hero's Relic back… from Sylvain's brother, Miklan.

As per Byleth's request, I kept my eye out for Flayn. Sometimes, I'd find her in the cathedral or in the cafeteria or by the pond. I wasn't sure if I should introduce myself to her or not. I'd heard Seteth was extremely protective of her.

Flayn was in the cafeteria again but she wasn't eating. She was reading. I went to check out the menu and order something for dinner. There was the sound of footsteps behind me.

"You're the Professor's twin, aren't you?"

I turned around. Flayn was standing behind me. She smiled. I nodded. "Yes. And you're Seteth's little sister."

Flayn chuckled. "You're right! I noticed you've been looking at me."

Oh. Well, I wasn't very good at being subtle or sneaky. The cafeteria lady pushed a tray of food over, and I picked it up. "Umm," I said. I wasn't sure what to say. Would Seteth have my head for staring at his sister too much?

Flayn giggled again. "It's okay. I've been looking at you too. Would you like to sit with me?"

I nodded. Why not? I joined her at her table. "What are you reading?"

"A book about fish!" Flayn held the book up to show me the cover. It had a blue cartoon fish on it, and the title was _All About Fish_.

"Very cool," I said, digging into my onion gratin stew.

Flayn set the book down and rested an elbow on it. "So why have you been looking at me lately?"

I blew on the hot soup before taking a sip. Sweet and savory. I had to come up with a reason, not "oh cause my twin brother asked me to." I cleared my throat and said, "Umm, well… I… think your hair is pretty."

Flayn smiled and clapped her hands together. "Really? Thank you!"

She bought that? I wasn't sure but kept drinking my stew anyway. "So, what about you?" I asked.

"Well, I think you and your brother look so cool," Flayn said. I suppose that was about as good of a reason as I'd given.

"Thanks…?" I said. "I don't think I'm that cool, but thanks." I laughed, but the sound came out forced and shaky.

Flayn smiled. She had a sweet smile that easily reached her eyes. "The new professor has garnered a lot of attention. Lady Rhea must see something special in your brother to appoint him as a professor."

I nodded. "I agree, especially considering how young he is." It was still a little strange to make the connection between "your brother" and Byleth. Most of my classmates referred to him as Professor, not as "your brother."

"Yes, isn't that fascinating?" Flayn said. "I don't really get to talk to too many people anyway. Most people here are busy, so I'm glad I got to speak with you for a bit."

"What do you do here then?" I asked.

Flayn laughed. "Not much. Sometimes, I help my brother or Lady Rhea out." Interesting. She stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I must be on my way."

I nodded. "Thanks for approaching me first," I said and smiled at her.

Flayn smiled back. "No problem, Byleth. See you around." She waved and walked off with her book.

* * *

There were rumors swirling about a Death Knight, someone dressed like a grim reaper of sorts, carrying a scythe and snatching people up. Even our class discussed it one morning.

"Did you hear? Apparently, people have seen something like a grim reaper, and people have been going missing," Annette said. "They call him the Death Knight."

"He's been seen in town," Ingrid said.

"I heard that too," Dimitri said with a nod.

"We better be careful then," Ashe said. "If we go into town, we should always go together."

"Ladies, you can always ask me," Sylvain said with a wink. Ingrid elbowed him.

"Then, I'll be sure to ask you to join me on the shopping errand next time," Dimitri said. Felix chuckled quietly to himself, while Sylvain frowned.

"Hm, Byleth, don't you have to do the shopping this week?" Mercedes said, thinking.

I nodded. She was right.

Sylvain was opening his mouth, but Dimitri spoke first, "I can go with you."

"That's okay," I said, holding a hand up. "I'll go in the morning, so there shouldn't be any Death Knights."

Dimitri shook his head. "You can never be too careful. I'll go with you." He crossed his arms. Well, I wasn't sure how else to politely say no to the _Prince_ of Faerghus.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile.

Professor Manuela walked into the classroom, and we scrambled off to our seats. After class, though, Dimitri approached me again. "Where shall we meet?" he asked. There was a spark in his eyes, like we were planning some grand event.

"At the gates?"

Dimitri nodded. "Very well. What time?"

"Ten in the morning," I said. "Does that work for you?"

"Yes, sounds good."

Whether I liked it or not, I was going shopping with His Highness, Dimitri.

On Saturday, after eating a quick breakfast at the cafeteria, I went to the gates. Dimitri was already there, standing beside the gatekeeper. I had a list of what we needed to get: some bandages, writing ink, parchment, soap, pickled vegetables, and meat jerky.

We walked through the small merchant area before Garreg Mach towards town.

"Dedue told me," Dimitri said. "I believe he mentioned that I would like your assistance."

"Oh, right." I remembered the conversation after the mock battle, and then laughed. "That was great! Saved me from Claude."

Dimitri cleared his throat. "Well, he wasn't lying."

I glanced at him. "Oh. You do want my help? With what?"

"You could be a Knight, or better yet, an advisor," Dimitri said. That sounded rather similar to what Claude had said. "I've seen you fight, Byleth. You're incredible."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. Your Highness is way stronger than me."

"It's not just that, though," Dimitri said. "You have a different life experience than most nobles. You were an orphan, right? With your help, we could change the way orphans are treated or the way orphanages are run."

We were passing by a few residential buildings. The large market was up ahead, and more and more people filled the streets. "You mean, I could suggest policy changes?"

Dimitri nodded. "Of course."

Tempting. I tapped my chin with a finger. "I'll think about it, but thank you for the offer, Your Highness."

Dimitri smiled. "I'm looking for trusted advisors who I can rely on once I take the throne."

I wasn't sure how or why he thought I could be trusted. But, the thought left me feeling warm inside. I smiled back at him. "Thank you. It's truly an honor."

We'd arrived at the marketplace. Considering how many people there were, we decided to split up. I purchased the infirmary and writing supplies, while Dimitri went to buy the kitchen ingredients. We met up at the little town square, where there was a fountain.

"Did you get everything?" I asked Dimitri. He nodded. "Great! Let's go back then. This was so much faster with your help. Thanks for coming with me." I smiled.

"I'm glad I was of help," Dimitri replied.

* * *

The weeks flew by, and soon we headed off for our mission. There were four priests with us, and one Knight. They led the way, and our group followed. It was a peaceful walk.

We encountered one group of bandits, who were harassing some villagers, and we took them out. Then we continued on our way. We bid the priests farewell at the church and walked back. Overall, it was an uneventful mission.

After we'd returned to the monastery, I decided to follow Professor Manuela, because I knew where she was. Trying to find Flayn or Professor Jeritza would probably take some time. It was the end of the month. If anything was going to happen, it'd be today.

Professor Manuela went to the infirmary to drop off some papers and books. I waited outside in the hallway. I wasn't sure how obvious I could make it. When she emerged from the infirmary, she was carrying something: a white mask.

"Oh, Byleth, what is it?" she asked me, when she saw me waiting outside.

"Uh, could I go with you?" I said. "Wherever you're going."

Manuela raised an eyebrow. "What's going on?"

I pointed at the mask. "What's that?"

Manuela held it up. "It looks like Professor Jeritza's mask. He must have left it in the infirmary by accident. I was going to return it."

"Could I go with you? I… uh… want to ask you something. Later."

Manuela looked at me again. "You can't ask me now?" I shook my head, then she shrugged. "All right. Do what you want."

Yes, success! The two of us walked down the stairs towards the Knights' quarters, which was where Jeritza's room was. Professor Manuela knocked on the wooden door. "Jeritza?" she said. "Are you in there? I have your mask."

It was quiet. I placed a hand on Professor Manuela's arm and nudged her aside. With my right hand on my sword hilt, I pushed the door open. I stepped inside, with Manuela trailing behind me.

_Clank!_

I almost didn't block the attack in time.

It was a terrible looking person. Someone wearing a dark skull mask and all black, carrying a scythe. The rumored Death Knight…

"You…" the Death Knight said.

My sword was barely out of its sheath, but just enough to block the scythe. I drew my sword out. "Professor, run!"

"Wh-What?" Manuela said.

"Go get help!" I said.

"R-Right, be careful, Byleth!" Manuela said, then she was gone.

I kept my eyes on the Death Knight. I inched towards the door. If I blocked his escape, then we'd be able to catch him.

The Knight's rooms were slightly larger than student's dorms, and they had their own private bathrooms, which was on the other side of the room from me. I was near Jeritza's bed and the door. In between us, against the wall, was a large bookshelf. Except, it was slightly askew, and some dark hole was behind it. What in the world?

Then, something else caught my eye. A body near the corner of the room. A girl. With green hair.

"Flayn?" I said.

The Death Knight swung at me, taking advantage of my momentary distraction. I leaped back. I'd barely dodged. I could feel the scythe cutting the air in front of me. Then the Death Knight was attacking again. This time, I blocked. I gritted my teeth as he pushed against my sword.

Then the pressure was gone, and the Death Knight was swinging again. He was fast, so much faster than Byeth. I tried to jump to the side, but his blade still hit my right arm.

"Ah!" My arm burned with pain. I almost dropped my sword. Quick, quick. I managed to block his next strike, but my sword arm was getting weak. Blood dripped from my arm.

The Death Knight knocked my sword out of my hands. Oh, Goddess. This was the end for me. I pulled my dagger out but it was useless against his scythe. The Death Knight jammed his blade into my stomach.

"Oof." I grunted. The searing hot pain. My arm flailed about, trying to hit the Death Knight with my dagger, but he was out of reach.

He drew his blade out from me, a wrenching, terrible pain in my gut. My knees were giving out from under. I was toppling to the floor. My vision was blurring. "N-No." My hand found the wound. I could feel the warm blood slipping out. I tried to stand, tried to move, but I could only fall onto my knees. Flayn was lying on the floor not too far from me.

Flayn… My vision was darkening. I stretched a hand out towards her. The Death Knight had his back to me. He was walking towards her. My head was spinning.

Yuri…

I didn't feel myself fall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	7. Sleeping

Yuri was reading in the Abyss classroom. It was the least he could do to continue his studies. Besides, the one thing Abyss had that Garreg Mach didn’t was lots of books, especially those that Seteth would have burned and destroyed.

Hurried footsteps approached the room. Yuri glanced up, even though he knew it wasn’t Byleth. Her footsteps were much lighter.

Barold burst into the room, sweat visible on his forehead. “Yuri boss! I-I heard!” He was out of breath too and stopped to rest his hands on his knees.

Yuri kept his cool expression. “What’d you hear?”

“I heard Byleth boss got injured!” Barold said, still gasping for air. Yuri stood up. “Stabbed! By the Death Knight.”

Yuri swallowed. “Is she alive?” Yuri was glad his voice still sounded even and calm.

Barold nodded. “I think so. I saw some Knights carrying her to the infirmary. Wh-What should we do, Boss?” Barold clasped his hands together, and his dark eyebrows knitted together in worry.

“She’ll survive,” Yuri said, stepping closer to rest a hand on Barold’s shoulder. “Just keep an ear and eye out for more information.”

Barold nodded. “Got it!” Yuri was walking past him now. “Where are you going, Boss? You can’t go to the surface, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” Yuri said with a humorless chuckle. “Keep me posted, Barold!”

“Yes, sir!”

Once Yuri had turned down the hallway, he quickened his pace. His mother should still be at home. She didn’t have a work shift at this time.

Byleth… Hadn’t he told her to be careful? And what did she do? Go and pick a fight with the Death Knight? Yuri’s hands balled into tight fists.

The door wasn’t locked. A bad habit of his mother’s that no amount of reminding or chastising from Yuri or Byleth could change. Yuri stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Rose was sitting at the dining table, sewing a shirt.

“Mother,” Yuri said and dashed towards the table.

“What’s wrong?” Rose set the shirt and the needle down.

“You have to go to the surface,” Yuri said. He swallowed. Now that he was alone with his mother, a knot had formed in his throat and his stomach. “Byleth… she’s been injured.”

Rose stood up, the chair scraping against the floor. “What? What happened?”

“Please, just make sure she’s okay for me,” Yuri said, staring at the table. His voice was thinner and higher-pitched, like he was pleading, because he was. Even though he knew he didn’t have to. “She’s at the infirmary, the second floor of the monastery. She’s been stabbed.”

Rose stepped around the table and pulled Yuri into a hug. “Of course, dear. Of course, I will.” She patted his back.

“Thanks,” Yuri said in a whisper.

“Don’t worry, dear. Our Byleth is a tough one,” Rose said, pulling away and smoothing part of Yuri’s hair down. She was smiling. “You stay right here, and I’ll be right back.” Yuri nodded and sat down at the table. Rose swept out of the house.

Yuri leaned his arms on his knees and brought his hands together. He didn’t pray often, but now seemed like the best time to.

Please, Goddess, please let Byleth be alive.

  
  


Professor Byleth had just returned with his class from their monthly mission. He’d sent his students free and was returning the Gautier’s Hero’s Relic to Lady Rhea, when Seteth burst into the room.

“Rhea! Rhea,” Seteth said. “I can’t find Flayn anywhere! And Professor Manuela and Byleth ran into the Death Knight.”

Byleth’s eyes widened.

“Where are Manuela and Byleth now?” Rhea asked.

“Byleth’s in the infirmary,” Seteth said, glancing at Professor Byleth. “Professor Manuela healed her up. But Flayn-- I can’t find her anywhere, and she wouldn’t go anywhere without telling me first.”

Rhea nodded. “I understand, Seteth.” She turned to Byleth. “Professor, we’ll talk later. You might want to go check on your sister.”

Byleth nodded. He didn’t need a second reminder. He spun around and quickly walked out of the room. Luckily, the infirmary was just down the hallway. Manuela was sitting at the desk in the infirmary. Byleth was lying in one of the beds. Manuela looked up when Professor Byleth entered.

“Oh, Professor!” Manuela said.

“Will she be okay?” Byleth asked.

Manuela nodded. “Yes, she should be. I’ve healed her as much as I can. It’ll take her a few days to fully recover, but she should be fine.”

Byleth sat down on the stool beside the bed. “What happened?” he asked.

Manuela sighed. “I was just going to return Jeritza’s mask, but the Death Knight was in his room! And Byleth told me to go get the Knights, so I did. When we came back, she was on the floor, bleeding half to death, and the Death Knight was gone.” Manuela glared at the bed, clenching a fist. “I’ll make sure to stab the Death Knight the next time I see him. How dare he hurt my student!”

So it’d worked. Byleth knew he shouldn’t feel as happy as he did, sitting at the bedside of his injured sister. But it’d worked. She’d changed the storyline, even if it was just who got stabbed by the Death Knight. His sister was a wildcard, the key to achieving his dream of a happy ending.

But… Byleth stared at his sister’s pale face. There was a bandage around her right arm too. He’d made a mistake, and it’d almost gotten her killed. He could have warned her of Jeritza, of the Death Knight, but he hadn’t. Because what? Because he was afraid she’d tell someone? Because he was afraid she wouldn’t believe him? And yet, she’d still followed his random ask, not knowing that it’d be dangerous.

Byleth shook his head and buried his face into his hands. Even if his sister was the key to finding the fifth path, he couldn’t sacrifice her life and wellbeing for the sake of his own selfish desire… for the sake of so many other lives…

Someone entered the infirmary, and Manuela intercepted them.

“I’m sorry, we only treat students and employees here,” Manuela was saying.

“I’m not here to be treated.” It was a woman’s voice. “I’m here to see my daughter. Who’s right there.”

Byleth glanced up. A middle-aged woman, with purple-gray hair tied into a bun, was standing beside Manuela. She was in a simple, tan dress.

“But I thought Byleth was an orphan,” Manuela said, mouth wide. The woman brushed past Professor Manuela and stepped beside Professor Byleth. She took Byleth’s hand.

“Oh you poor thing,” the woman said.

“Now wait a moment, but Byleth is an orphan.” Manuela had regained her composure and spun around. “And that’s her real brother.”

The woman looked at who Manuela was gesturing at, which was Professor Byleth, and said, “Oh! Your Byleth’s brother, the new professor.”

Professor Byleth stood up and bowed. “Yes. My name is Byleth, too.”

The woman smiled. “I’m Rose Leclerc. I lived in the same village as Byleth, when she was a child. She and my son are good friends. I took her in a few years ago. She’s my daughter.”

Profesor Byleth hadn’t heard any of that from his sister. Rose reached a hand towards Byleth’s stomach. A glowing white light appeared.

“Wait, I’ve already healed her,” Professor Manuela said, stepping over.

The light faded. Byleth’s forehead scrunched up, and she turned her head, stirring in her sleep. Rose smiled. “How long do you think it’ll take her to recover?” she asked.

“A few days,” Manuela replied. There were more footsteps approaching. These were much heavier. 

Jeralt appeared in the doorway. “I heard what happened. Is the kiddo okay?”

Manuela sat back down at her desk. “Yes, for the third time. She should recover in a few days.”

Jeralt joined the growing group around Byleth’s bed. He patted Professor Byleth’s shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

Byleth nodded.

Jeralt then looked at Rose and held a hand out. “I’m Jeralt Eisner, the kid’s father.”

Rose shook his hand with a pleasant smile. “Nice to meet you, Jeralt. I’m her surrogate mother, if you will. I’ve heard quite a bit about you two.”

“Huh, we haven’t heard much about you,” Jeralt said, scratching the back of his head. “But then, the kiddo’s pretty quiet.”

Rose chuckled. “Yes, she can be shy.” She gazed down at Byleth and squeezed Byleth’s hand. “I should get going.” She returned Byleth’s hand back on the bed, then bent down to kiss Byleth’s forehead. “Nice meeting you two,” Rose said before leaving the infirmary.

Professor Byleth sat back down in the stool.

“She’ll be fine,” Jeralt said. “She’s tough. Like me.”

Professor Byleth nodded, a trace of a smile on his face. He knew that, but still, he wanted to sit here for just a bit longer.

* * *

Everything hurt. My arm. My stomach. My back ached, and my neck and legs were stiff. I blinked and slowly opened my eyes. Was I in heaven or hell? No, if I was hurting, I probably wasn’t in heaven.

I was lying in a bed in the infirmary. Sunlight seeped in through the window to my left. I pushed myself up into a sitting position. Ow ow ow ow. There was a sharp pain in my stomach. My hand went to the bandaged wound.

“You’re up.” Professor Manuela walked into the infirmary. She leaned over me. “Let me see.”

“Flayn,” I said. My throat was dry.

“I’ll get you water.” Professor Manuela poured me a glass of water and handed it to me. I gulped it down, then returned the glass to her. She poured me more water. 

“Is Flayn okay?” I asked.

“The Death Knight took her, but they don’t know to where,” Professor Manuela said.

“I think I know where,” I said, sipping the water now. “There was a hole behind Jeritza’s bookshelf.”

“I’ll let the Knights know,” Professor Manuela said. “You just keep resting here, okay?”

“Can I go back to my room?” I asked.

Professor Manuela thought for a second and then shrugged. “If you can walk back, then I suppose. You’ll want to drop by once a day, though, so I can check up on you and change your bandages.”

I nodded. I had to go see Yuri. I swung my legs off the bed. Oof, everything was stiff. “What day is it, Professor?”

“You’ve only been sleeping for a day,” Manuela said. “Let me know if you’re not feeling well enough to attend class tomorrow, all right?”

“Okay. Thank you,” I said.

Manuela watched me as I pushed myself onto my feet. I felt light-headed and dizzy. I steadied myself with a hand on the nearby bed table.

“Do you need help?” Manuela asked. 

“I can help.”

I glanced towards the voice. It was Byleth. He strode over and held an arm towards me. I stared at him for a second before taking his arm. 

“Be careful,” Manuela said, as I hobbled my way out. “And let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Professor,” I said. We were at the doorway now. This was very slow going.

“I can carry you,” Byleth said, in that quiet, low tone of his.

I shook my head. If I couldn’t even walk to my own room with the help of Byleth, there was no way I’d get to Abyss on my own. 

Byleth helped me down the steps, one at a time. I kept a hand on the wall. Had the path from the infirmary to my room always been this long? I’d been back and forth before, when running errands to stock up the infirmary supplies, and I swore it was a five minute walk.

We were walking through the hallways now, towards the dorms. When we passed by the cafeteria, the sweet smell of freshly baked bread made me realize that I was starving. I stopped.

“I’m hungry,” I said.

Byleth nodded, and we turned to walk into the cafeteria. I sat down, while Byleth went to get us food. I dug straight in. Delicious, warm pasta. Mmm… 

When I glanced up, chewing, Byleth was smiling.

“What?” I said, mouth full of noodles and carrots.

Byleth shook his head. “I’m glad you’re safe.”

“Thanks.” I returned my gaze to the plate in front of me. “I guess.” We didn’t talk much. I was too busy stuffing my face, and Byleth was a quiet person. When I was done eating, I left out a satisfied sigh. I felt much more awake.

I stood up to try to return the plate myself, but my right arm was weak. Byleth took the plate from me. He was back a second later and held his arm out again. I stared at him. “Why are you helping me?” I asked.

“You’re my sister,” Byleth said. I placed my arm on top of his, and we walked out of the cafeteria. My head was clearer. I felt more steady too.

I chuckled to myself, but I wasn’t smiling. “Even though you’d told me, I still couldn’t do anything.”

Byleth glanced at me then back at the path we were walking on. “That’s not true.”

“Yes, it is. Flayn’s missing, and the Death Knight got away,” I said.

“You saved Professor Manuela,” Byleth said. Our footsteps were quiet against the stone. I suppose he was right. Byleth looked at me again. “If you hadn’t been there, Professor Manuela would have been stabbed instead.”

Oh great, so I just swapped places with her? I laughed again mirthlessly. “You don’t have to try to cheer me up.”

“Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize either,” I said. Byleth was pursing his lips.

“I should have warned you,” he said. We were nearing the dorms now. I could see my room up ahead.

“Warned me about the Death Knight?” I asked. Byleth nodded. “You did tell me to be careful. And I was careful. I just wasn’t strong enough.”

Byleth shook his head. “The Death Knight is very strong.”

Yeah, I knew that first hand. He could probably defeat Byleth too, in a one-on-one fight. We arrived in front of my room. Byleth opened the door for me, then helped me to my bed. I dropped down with a sigh of relief. 

“Do you need anything?” Byleth asked.

“Oh!” I snapped my finger. “Flayn. The Death Knight. There was a hole, behind the bookshelf. Did you look there? In Professor Jeritza’s room.”

Byleth nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll get Flayn back.”

“Okay, good.” I dropped onto my bed, pulling the blankets over me. “Thanks for the help.”

“Get some rest,” Byleth said, with a short nod. Then the door closed, and the room was quiet. I let my eyes slide shut. My bed wasn’t more comfortable than the infirmary one, but at least it didn’t smell like alcohol.

I slept and slept until there was a knock on my door.

My head felt a bit more clear, as I pushed myself up. “Who?” My throat was parched though, and my voice cracked.

“It’s me, Rose, dear!”

“Hang on.” I shuffled up and opened the door. It was dark outside. How long was I asleep? I could smell some kind of sweet fish broth. “Oh my Goddess, Rose, what did you bring?”

Rose smiled at me and entered. She set the box on my desk and pulled out a container. “Come eat,” she said. I sat down at my desk as she placed a bowl in front of me. I was trying not to drool. Rose passed me a spoon, and I dug right in.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I said. It was delicious and warm and not too salty. There were carrots, radish, and mushrooms too.

“I also brought some fruit. Make sure to eat some, okay?” Rose was unpacking some apples, bananas, and pears.

“I’ll probably go eat at the cafeteria tomorrow,” I said.

“Do you need any medicine?”

I shook my head. My wound ached, but it was bearable. “This  _ is _ medicine,” I said, slurping the soup. The fish was cooked so tenderly that it almost melted in my mouth.

Rose laughed and patted my back.

Then a thought struck me. Wait. How did Rose know? I looked at her. That meant Yuri knew. Well, of course, Yuri knew. But he told Rose because he’d heard something serious and severe. “Do you want a chair? And how’d you know? Did you visit me yesterday?” My hand brushed my stomach.

Rose dragged the spare chair over to sit beside me. “Yes, Yuri told me. I visited you, and I met your brother and father.” She beamed at me.

“You did?” My mouth hung open just long enough for me to scoop more stew into my spoon.

Rose nodded. “They seem like nice people.”

“You told Yuri I was okay?”

“Of course.” Rose reached a hand out to stroke my hair.

“Thanks,” I said, smiling.

After I finished the stew, Rose took the bowl and utensils back. “Get some sleep, dear. I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “I’ll go to Abyss.”

“Are you sure?” Rose was standing near the doorway.

I nodded. “And I’ll probably go to class.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard.” Rose set the box back down and pulled me into a hug. She kissed my cheek. “All right, now get some rest.”

I waved her goodbye and closed the door. Then I stretched my arms up over my head. Now that my stomach was full, I was getting sleepy again. I picked up one of the books we had to read and crawled into bed.

I opened the book to where I’d left off. I still had a few more pages left to read, though Professor Manuela would probably give me a free pass if I didn’t finish. But, I’d been sleeping all day today and yesterday.

I read and read, until my eyelids felt heavy. Then I set the book aside and rolled onto my back and fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	8. Recovering and Searching

I felt immensely better the next day. I walked to the cafeteria all by myself, no limping or dizziness involved. I ate breakfast, then I went to our classroom. A few of my classmates were there.

“Byleth, are you feeling better?” Dimitri asked me, when I walked in.

I nodded. “Did the Knights find Flayn?”

“Yeah, the Knights and the Professor,” Felix replied.

“That’s good,” I said. I sat down at my usual spot near the far left of the room. The rest of our classmates trickled in, then Professor Manuela arrived.

She spotted me and smiled. “All right, class, sit down. Let’s begin.”

During our lunch break, I followed Professor Manuela to the infirmary. She helped remove my bandages. My arm was mostly healed now. The only wound left was on my stomach, a deep wound, but it hadn’t opened up.

“Hmm, you should be fine now. You’ll want to be more careful, though. Avoid any training or fighting for at least three more days,” Manuela said.

I nodded. The wound still felt tender. If someone poked it, it’d probably really hurt and start bleeding again.

“Do you need any painkillers?” Professor Manuela said.

I shook my head. “I think I’m okay.”

“Good. Just be careful, and let me know if you need anything, got it?” Professor Manuela said with a faint smile.

“Thanks, Professor.” I smiled back. 

After afternoon classes and studying, I headed for Abyss around dinner time. The walk to Abyss was much more difficult than to class. The dirt tunnel was littered with pebbles and rocks. The path twisted and turned, always sinking lower and deeper into the earth. I kept a hand near the wall of the tunnel, but I didn’t actually need it. Soon, I stepped into the warm light of the Abyss entrance way.

I took the steps down, past the marketplace area, then down an alleyway to Rose’s house. I knocked once, though I had a key on me. The door opened. Yuri was standing in front of me.

“Yuri-”

Yuri wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged him back, patting his back. “I’m okay,” I said.

“I know,” he said. He released me, and we entered the house. It smelled like butter, meat, and spices. Rose was cooking. She glanced up with a smile.

“Byleth! I’m glad you made it,” she said.

“Of course,” I said, smiling back. “I’m feeling a lot better.”

“That’s good. Have some bread first.” Rose gestured at a loaf of bread sitting on the dining table.

“Did you bake this yourself?”

“Yes,” Rose said. She was chopping celery.

“Wow.” I sat down, and Yuri cut a slice for me. I spread soft butter on top and bit in. Mmm... The bread was warm.

“So what happened?” Yuri asked, sitting down across from me. “I heard you got in a fight with the Death Knight.”

I told them the gist of it. Rose set plates down of roasted rabbit with collard greens and celery. She’d prepared a tomato soup too.

“What a feast,” I said as we dug in.

Rose grinned at me. “To celebrate your recovery.” Rose told me about her encounter with Byleth and Jeralt.

“I’d love to meet your brother one day,” Yuri said with a smirk. 

“I think you’d like him,” Rose said. “Jeralt’s rather handsome too.” She laughed. When Rose smiled like that, she looked a lot like Yuri.

After dinner, Yuri and I did the dishes. Then we left together. Yuri walked with me to the Abyss entrance. When we stopped to linger, Yuri reached his hands out to take mine.

“What?” I asked, squeezing his hands.

Yuri just stared at me for a minute, then squeezed my hands back. He smiled. “Nothing. Don’t get yourself killed, Byleth.”

“I know,” I said.

He leaned closer and kissed my forehead. “See you.” He let my hands go and turned around, waving at me.

“See you.” I waved back, but he wasn’t looking. Then I walked back towards the surface. What did that mean? The kiss was just a sign of affection, right? Yuri wouldn’t have caught feelings for me, right?

I hoped not.

* * *

This month’s mission was cancelled, in lieu of searching for Flayn. But Flayn was found, so Lady Rhea decided to just give all our classes a break from a monthly mission. Flayn was also joining Byleth’s class.

On the following Saturday, Byleth invited me to lunch at the cafeteria. When I arrived, though, I found someone sitting across from him.

Claude glanced at me with a smile. “Hey there, Byleth.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to smile back.

“Teach invited me,” Claude said. I glanced at Byleth, who nodded, then back at Claude and the empty seat beside him. Well, I didn’t have much of a choice. I sat down.

Byleth opened his mouth but I held a hand up. “Are you going to say that you want us to be friends?”

Byleth nodded.

“Why?” I asked.

Byleth shrugged. “Why not?”

Claude grinned. “Yeah, Byleth, why not?”

I shifted in my seat and picked up the fork in front of me. “No reason. I was just wondering.” I had a sneaking suspicion that the only reason why Claude and Dimitri had both expressed interest in me was because I was related to Byleth.  _ The _ Professor Byleth. The talk of the monastery.

“So, Claude,” I said. “Do you have future plans for the Alliance?”

“I’m glad you asked.” Claude winked at me. I tried not to roll my eyes. We ate while Claude told us about how he wanted to tear down Fodlan’s throat, how he wanted peaceful relations with Alymra, and how he wanted a future where people from all sorts of places could gather and have fun together. “If we just spent some time trying to understand each other, don’t you think we could all get along?”

He had a point.

“Do you agree?” Claude smiled at me, and I nodded.

“I think you raised some good points,” I said. He laughed. Byleth was nodding too.

“Does that mean you’ll come and help me out?”

I chuckled. “No, sorry. You can ask Byleth though.” Our gazes switched to Byleth, who sat across from us. He looked confused. 

“So, Teach? Like I said the first day I met you, the Alliance could use someone like you,” Claude said.

Byleth shook his head. “I’m going to be a professor.”

Claude laughed and said, “I figured you’d say that.” I smiled too. I guess Byleth really enjoyed teaching.

We chatted a bit more about our different classes, how the teaching styles differed. Professor Manuela had a rather hands-off approach, often leaving us to self-study or train together. From what Claude told us, it sounded like Professor Hanneman assigned lots of readings and quizzes. Byleth had a mixed approach, using a combination of teaching materials from both Manuela and Hanneman.

“I like to tutor students one on one,” Byleth said.

“Wow, getting that special one on one attention,” Claude said.

After lunch, Byleth stayed in the cafeteria, while Claude and I walked out.

“Where are you going now?” he asked.

“Library to study,” I said.

“Cool,” he said and waved. “See you around, Byleth.”

I waved back. “See you, Claude.”

Maybe I’d judged him wrong. Maybe he’d asked for my assistance because he really thought he needed people to help him achieve his dreams. Maybe his fake flirtatious statements were simply a guise for friendliness.

He reminded me a bit of Yuri.

* * *

On Sunday, I went down to Abyss in the evening to find the Ashen Wolves picking a fight with Byleth, the 3 house leaders, Ashe, Hilda, and Lindhardt. Yuri spotted me first. The others turned to look at me as I approached from behind the other monastery students.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“We’re bored! We’re going to fight them,” Balthus said, pumping a fist in the air. “You wanna join us, pal?”

“Byleth, you know them?” Dimitri said.

I nodded as I stepped past the monastery students. “I’m good. You guys have fun.” My gaze met Yuri’s. “I’ll be hanging out with Rose.”

Yuri nodded. 

“You’re not going to help us, Byleth?” Claude said. I was already brushing past Yuri.

“No thanks,” I said. I didn’t want to get involved. If I did, I’d be on Yuri’s side anyway, and I really didn’t want to fight against Byleth again. I left the groups to fight and went to find Rose. She was sewing.

“Hey, Byleth,” she said with a smile. I smiled back, taking a seat at the dining table. This was more worth my time. I helped Rose with her sewing while we chatted. About an hour later, the door opened, and Yuri walked in.

“Oh, how’d it go?” I asked.

“What happened?” Rose said. Yuri’s shirt was bloodstained. She stood up, while Yuri dropped into the seat beside me.

“We lost.” Yuri smirked. “Your brother really is strong.” Rose placed a hand over Yuri’s head to heal him. “I’m fine, Mother. Balthus healed me. And that green-haired kid.”

“I’m just checking,” Rose said, retreating back to her seat. “You met Byleth’s brother?”

Yuri nodded. “We had a friendly fight.”

“Doesn’t look very friendly,” I said, waving at his shirt. 

Yuri glanced down and sighed. “I’ll change later.”

“What’d you think of him?” Rose was smiling a little too widely. “Isn’t he handsome?”

Yuri nodded. “Very. He’s strong. Excellent tactics. Even with some crewmates and a monster or two on our side, they still got us.”

“You brought monsters out for this?” My jaw dropped. “Isn’t that dangerous? You could have gotten them killed.”

Yuri shrugged. “You said he was strong. Besides, he had the three house leaders with him. I’ve heard about their strength. They’re not idiots. They’d know when to withdraw or retreat.”

Still… I wondered how Byleth was faring.

“They met Aelfric,” Yuri said, eyes flitting towards me then back at the table. “Stay on your toes, Byleth. You too, Mother. Lock the door, please.”

Rose nodded. “I try to remember, but I just get home and get too busy doing other stuff.”

What did Yuri know to cause him to worry about our safety? No, it wasn’t about what Yuri did know. It was what he  _ didn’t _ know that was making him worry. I wondered if Byleth knew then.

Yuri got up and went to change his shirt. When he returned, Rose set her sewing supplies down. “Are you two hungry?” Yuri and I both nodded. “I’ll cook up dinner then.”

After dinner and some chatting, I left Abyss for my dorm room. But, someone was waiting outside my room. Someone with familiar blue hair.

“What are you doing here, Professor?” I asked.

Byleth stood up from where he was leaning against a wooden post. He glanced around. A few people were walking by. Then he said, quietly, “How do you know about Abyss?”

“It’s because of Abyss that I’m here.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Your surrogate mother... ” Byleth struck his thinking pose, resting his chin in his hand. “She said you’re friends with her son.”

I nodded. “Yuri.”

Byleth straightened up again and nodded. “I see,” he said.

“What about it? Why are you asking?”

He shook his head. “Just curious.”

“Are you going to invite me to eat lunch with His Highness Dimitri next?”

Byleth nodded.

“All right.” I dropped my arms and turned towards my room. “Goodnight, Professor.”

“Good night.”

Sometimes, I wished I could crawl into other people’s skins. See what they see, feel what they feel, know what they know. Just to understand what went on in other people’s heads. I felt that way about Byleth. I wanted to know what he was thinking about and what exactly he knew about the future.

Maybe he’d tell me eventually.

When I returned to Abyss Friday evening, Yuri filled me in on what had happened. Byleth and the other students were helping the Ashen Wolves defend Abyss from a recent influx of thugs. The enemies kept demanding some chalice.

“They seem to believe that the Chalice of Beginnings is somewhere in Abyss. We’re going to try to find it,” Yuri said. “Tomorrow morning. Do you want to join?”

“Will it be dangerous?”

Yuri nodded. “Most likely.”

“Count me in then.”

Yuri smirked. “Sounds good.”

I stood up and stretched. We were in the Abyss classroom. “I’m going to see Rose then.”

“Wait.” Yuri grabbed my hand, then he stood up too. “Don’t.”

“What do you mean?”

Yuri wouldn’t respond. He stared off to the side.

“Yuri, did something happen to Rose?”

“No,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at me. “No, she’s fine.”

“What’s going on?” I turned my hand so I was holding his hand. “Where’s Rose?”

Yuri looked at me then. “Just, stay away from my mother’s place for now, okay?”

I frowned. That couldn’t be good. “What happened, Yuri? And why won’t you tell me?”

He shook his head. “It’ll all be over soon, okay? Just trust me for now.”

I bit my lip. “If you’re going to do anything dangerous, you better bring me along.”

Yuri laughed at that, but it sounded forced. Too high-pitched to be natural. “Of course, I will,” he said. Another lie. I squeezed his hand, hard.

“I’ll be back tomorrow morning,” I said.

Yuri nodded. “Be careful.” He reached his other hand up to ruffle my hair, a small smile on his face.

I returned to my dorm room. I had to double check that I didn’t have any chores to do this week. Luckily, I didn’t. But there were a few assignments to do and a quiz. If searching for the chalice took all day… I’d have to be careful not to flunk the next test. If Byleth was there, though, maybe he could give me a free professor pass.

The next morning, we grouped up near the entrance of Abyss. Claude grinned when he saw me walk over.

“Finally, going to join us, Byleth?” Claude asked.

“Nice!” Balthus said.

Constance just laughed. “Oho ho ho! We won’t need your assistance, Byleth.”

“No harm in an extra hand,” Yuri said. He glanced at Professor Byleth. “Everyone ready to go?” Everyone nodded. Yuri turned and headed off towards one of the Abyss tunnels that I’d never explored.

“Do you know where we’re going?” I fell into step beside him.

Yuri shook his head. “We’ll have to look around. Abyss is really large, but we’ll find it.” His eyes narrowed at the path in front of it.

“What makes you think we’ll find it?”

“We have to. If those bandits find it before us…” Yuri shook his head. Claude appeared by my side, crossing his arms behind his head.

“So how do you two know each other?” Claude asked. Yuri glanced at Claude then back forward.

“We grew up in the same village,” I said, seeing as Yuri didn’t want to reply.

“That’s nice,” Claude said. “I wish I had someone to grow up with.”

“You don’t have any siblings?”

Claude shook his head. “No. None of the other kids ever wanted to play with me either.” I glanced behind us to see what was going on. Hilda and Balthus were talking about her brother, Holst, and Edelgard and Constance were chatting about the Nuvelle household. Hapi was deflecting Lindhardt’s questions about her Crest.

Claude nudged me to the left with a hand on my shoulder. I looked back forward to see that the tunnel was curving.

“Better watch where you’re going,” Claude said with a smirk. Yuri’s gaze flickered to us then back ahead.

“Are you sure this is the right way?” Dimitri asked. Yuri shrugged. People were getting worried that we were lost, that we’d starve or die of dehydration before finding the chalice.

“It’s not that difficult to find our way back,” Yuri said. His tone was even and calm, and that reassured some people.

Then, up ahead, we saw light coming from around the bend. I glanced at Yuri, and he nodded. The tunnel opened up into a massive cavern. The cliffs towered above us. There was a bridge stretching across the sky. And, not too far away, there was what looked like an altar.

“Is this it?” Ashe asked.

When we stepped closer towards the grass, phantom soldiers popped up. And these giant mechanical dolls that whirred and clicked.

“Everyone, be careful,” Yuri said, holding an arm out to stop our advance.

“Long range and healers to the back,” Byleth said. “Edelgard, Byleth, we’ll be in the front.” Everyone moved as he instructed, the mages and archers shuffling to the back. Yuri, Balthus, and Hilda stayed in the middle. “Everyone, stay close together.”

Byleth led us forward. He told us where to go and whom to attack, and everyone obliged. It felt like I was bewitched by his words. Maybe it was because I trusted Byleth to keep us all safe. And maybe everyone else thought the same. 

Edelgard, Byleth, Balthus, Yuri, and I took most of the attacks, while everyone else blasted our enemies from afar. We did our best to block or dodge.

I wasn’t fast enough to dodge one of the mechanic doll’s lightning strike.

“Byleth!” Yuri shouted, when I dropped to my knees. Ouch. Yuri rushed to my side to heal me up. Then he helped me back on my feet. “I told you it’d be dangerous.”

“I know,” I said, squeezing his hand. “That’s why I wanted to be here.”

Yuri ran back to his original position, and we advanced. Soon, we’d defeated most of our enemies. As we were approaching the altar, it became clear that there was a chest up ahead. Yuri reached the chest first.

“It’s locked!” he said.

Of course, it would be. There was a magical stone glowing softly to the side. Our group went to investigate it. Then, there was a click. Yuri tried the chest again. This time, it opened. And inside it was a golden chalice, studded with ruby gems.

“We found it,” Hapi said, mouth wide.

“That’s awesome,” Balthus said. Everyone was smiling except for Constance.

Then, more phantom soldiers appeared.

“That’s not good,” Claude said.

“Everyone, run!” Yuri said. We turned and darted for the tunnel entrance we’d come from. The soldiers were right on our heels. Byleth was herding everyone, especially the slower-footed ones.

We had to retrace our steps. Sometimes, we’d stop to pick off some of the enemies, but it was better to keep moving. We were rounding a corner when a bandit appeared. “There they are!” he said, brandishing his sword at us.

“Great Goddess,” Yuri muttered.

There were lots of bandits. Byleth took control again, directing us to take down the bandits. We had to break through them to reach a gate that we could close once we were through.

The ghost soldiers and mechanical dolls were following too. Luckily, the bandits and the soldiers clashed, giving us time to pass through the first gate.

“Two more to go,” Constance said, eyes narrowed. There were lots of enemies. So many of them. We were all taking hits, trying to dodge and block as best we can.

“I’m out of healing energy,” Balthus said, out of breath. We were filing past the second gate. Edelgard was leading our frontal assault, while Byleth was protecting our backs from the enemies.

“Drink a vulnerary, if you need it,” Byleth called. “Wait until we’re all past the second gate before we keep moving.”

So that’s what we did, hunkering in a tiny room. We could see the bandits waiting in front of us. They knew we’d move soon. We had to.

“All right, Edelgard, lead the way!” Byleth shouted once the last student had squeezed into the room. Byleth was the only one left. Edelgard stepped out, and I followed beside her. I could hear the faint clang of the gate sliding shut. Byleth must have made it in.

Bandits kept pouring out. Arrows and magic whizzed by my head as we forced our way through. Byleth appeared near the front, and that helped speed things up. He cut enemies down swiftly with his Sword of the Creator.

“Come on, get moving!” Byleth waved us towards the last room. Once we were past that, there wouldn’t be anymore bandits. Right? Goddess, I sure hoped so.

As we beat the bandits back, we shuffled into the room, one by one. Finally, Byleth moved in, and the gates slid shut. We were all out of breath, clothing torn and stained from the battle. I wiped my cheek with the back of my hand only to find blood. There was blood in my mouth too.

“Everyone okay?” Byleth asked. We all nodded. Lindhardt did his best to heal everyone up. Yuri tapped my hand with his, and I looked at him. Somehow, his eyeshadow was still perfect, not a smudge visible. He smiled at me. I smiled back. 

We continued our hike back to the central part of Abyss. By the time we’d arrived, it was well past noon.

“I’m starving,” Hilda said. “And sweaty and tired and  _ ugh _ .”

We all agreed. My stomach had been rumbling for at least an hour now. Someone ran up to our group though.

“Yuri! This is bad! Aelfric’s been kidnapped!”

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :D


	9. Getting Betrayed

We got ourselves some food to eat and treated our remaining injuries. I washed my face clean from all the blood splatters, while Yuri and the others met with Lady Rhea to get permission to exchange the Chalice for Aelfric. Aelfric had a high position in the church, so Yuri suspected we'd get the approval.

I decided to wait near the Abyss entrance for their return. I leaned against the stone pillar and pulled one of the smaller textbooks out to read. I still had a few chapters left that were going to be on the Tuesday quiz.

One person was brushing past me when their hand slid into my vision. They grabbed my book and sprinted for the nearest tunnel.

"Hey!" I ran after. Stealing a textbook? What kind of thief was that?

They stumbled over a rock, allowing me to shorten the distance between us. Then they turned around a corner. I grabbed one of my daggers and pursued.

I rounded the bend to find several people waiting for me. Thugs, by the looks of it. And they were armed. I threw my dagger at the closest one and drew out my sword. There were footsteps behind me.

I glanced behind. More thugs were racing towards me. While I was watching, someone swung at me. I spun back and blocked their attack. I was surrounded. Great. Stupid textbook. I should have let the thief take it.

"Drop your weapon!" someone yelled from behind me. "We don't want to hurt you. We were just told to capture you."

Great. So they'd go easy on me then. I knocked the other person back and stabbed another person nearby. Someone was running up from behind. I tried to turn in time, but I wasn't fast enough. They tackled me to the ground. The fall knocked the air out of my lungs.

Oof.

The others were on top of me right away, trying to pin my arms and legs down. I forced myself up. My grip on my sword tightened and I swung. The other person was also winded and caught off guard. He tumbled off of me to dodge my strike.

"Get off me!" I yelled. "Get away!" There were others on my legs, trying to tie my feet together. I kicked at them. I slashed someone's arm with my sword.

"Stop resisting," someone said. I was still trying to catch my breath. Someone tried to push my shoulders down. I turned my head and bit their arm. They withdrew with a shriek for a minute.

Then, someone slammed their boot against my chest, knocking me back down. Ouch. I was swinging my sword again, clawing at the foot with my other hand, when something hard hit my right wrist. The sharp pain caused me to drop my sword. I screamed, as loud as I could.

The weight on my chest became heavier. My lungs were being crushed. The person kneeled down. No, no, no.

They grabbed my hair and smacked my head back into the ground.

Ow… For a second, my vision filled with dark spots. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. They took the opportunity to turn me around and pin my arms around my back. No. Goddess. No. I could feel the thick rope tightening around my wrists.

"Someone knock her out," someone said. Oh, Goddess, save me.

There was a cloth being pressed against my face, and a chemical smell filled my nostrils. Who were these people? What did they want from me? Or did they just kidnap random strangers who stood around reading books?

My mind was becoming foggy.

Yuri, please don't worry.

* * *

My head was pounding. My arms and legs felt numb. The ground was hard and jagged. I cracked my eyes open. I was lying in some cell. Through the bars, I could see another cell across from me. And someone familiar was pressed up against the bars.

I sat up. "Rose?" I tried to say, but my mouth was gagged, and it just sounded like mmphm.

Rose's eyes lit up once she saw me. She was in a similar state. Tied up. There were several other people behind her. Barold? Most of our crew mates. So, this was why Yuri said not to approach Rose's home. Whoever was behind this… When I got my hands on them, I was going to kill them. Being tied up like this for multiple days? Were they getting any food? This couldn't be good for Rose's health.

No, no. I took a few deep breaths to slow the boiling anger. Whoever was behind this was probably targeting Yuri. Otherwise, why kidnap us?

I shifted myself until I could rest my back against the dirt wall. Rose did the same, shuffling to the side of their cell. I took inventory. My sword was gone. So was the dagger I kept on my back. But, if they hadn't checked me too thoroughly, then I still had two small knives in my shoes and one on the inside of my pant's waistband.

Could I reach it? Even with my hands tied up? I wiggled my fingers into my pants until my thumb and index finger found the handle of the tiny knife that Yuri had given me. Perfect. I could cut myself loose, but it'd take some time.

But when? There were so many of them, and I wasn't sure if I could take them all with my small blades. And if they tried to use Rose or our crew as hostages… I sighed and tried to relax, though it felt like the circulation in my hands was getting cut off.

I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes. My head still hurt. It was a dull, aching pain in the back of my head that would sometimes sharpen terribly. I waited there like that for several minutes, until I became aware of my bladder. And a need to pee.

Oh Goddess. I doubt they'd let me do that.

Then, there were footsteps. Two thugs appeared before us, and one of them pointed at me. "He said to bring her."

"And only her?" The other one was fiddling the key into the lock. The first one nodded. I glanced down.

The door unlocked with a clang and swung open.

"No funny business, you hear me?" The first one said, holding an axe. The second one stepped inside and hoisted me over his shoulder.

Why did they want me?

I met Rose's eyes as I passed by. I tried to nod at her but my chin just dug into the thug's back. But she got the message and nodded back.

It was a bumpy walk through some Abyss tunnels and extremely uncomfortable for my bladder. I wondered if peeing on the thug would be enough to escape. No, no, probably not worth it.

I tried to figure out where we were going, but the tunnels of Abyss all looked pretty similar. Dirt, rocks, and dark, snaking turns. At least, I assumed we were still in Abyss. Eventually, I spotted light from above. We stepped into a lit cavern, and the guy carrying me dumped me on the ground.

"Oof." The air was knocked out of me again, and my head stung like crazy. I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Didn't I tell you to be gentle?" A familiar voice said. I opened my eyes to see Aelfric standing not too far away from me. He looked at me, and his face softened. "I'm sorry about that, Byleth."

Wait. What?

"Byleth?" It was Yuri. I twisted my head towards his voice. Yuri was standing not too far right from me. The other Ashen Wolves were tied up and scattered into four points of a rectangle. Yuri pulled his sword out. "Taking my mother and friends hostage wasn't enough, Aelfric? You had to take Byleth too?" He spoke quickly and harshly. And for a moment, a flicker of anger appeared on his face: he narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and glared at Aelfric.

"I don't want to hurt Byleth either," Aelfric said. "She's just extra insurance. Now put that sword away."

So Aelfric was behind this? But, he'd seemed so nice. I watched as Yuri struggled to appear calm while sheathing his sword. He met my gaze then looked away.

I turned back to glare at Aelfric and tried to say, "Take this cloth off me, you piece of garbage, and let me beat you up." Of course, it all came out as garbled sounds. Aelfric looked at me, then back at someone nearby.

"Take that off of her. It's unsightly," Aelfric said.

"Yes, sir." Someone reached over and took the gag out of my mouth. I coughed and sat up.

"Aelfric, what are you doing?" I said.

"I'm reviving your mother," Aelfric said with a smile. He gestured at a tomb behind him. The golden chalice was on top of it.

"What?"

"Your mother, Sitri." He turned his back to me as he stepped towards the casket. The lid was askew, but I couldn't see whoever was inside from where I sat. "The loveliest woman I've ever met."

That didn't make me want to kill him any less.

"He's using the Chalice and our blood," Yuri said.

His blood… Yuri's Crest… The other three Ashen Wolves. It clicked in my brain. The other three all had the lost Apostles' Crests? What were the chances? I glanced at Yuri. I needed him to signal when I should cut myself free. Aelfric had people standing guard all over the place. How were we going to get ourselves out of this mess?

Aelfric wasn't watching me. His eyes were glued to the Chalice. All the other guards were in front of me and looking forward. Maybe now was the time. I pulled out the small knife and began sawing at the rope. I gritted my teeth. My wrists hurt. Most of my body hurt.

I could feel the ropes loosening. I kept sawing at them, the knife sliding up and down and up and down.

Then, Byleth appeared, across the wide room from me. Him and the other students. I rolled onto my back, to hide the knife from view, as Aelfric spun around. Aelfric's mouth fell open, while Yuri smirked.

"The Knights will have found where you're keeping my mother by now," Yuri said. At the same time, other three Ashen Wolves had wrangled themselves free of the ropes around their wrists.

At least they still had their magic or weapons. I did learn some elementary light magic, but the only spell I could cast was Nosferateu. If I could steal a weapon from any of these thugs… we could get ourselves free.

"That's why I needed Byleth." Aelfric's voice echoed throughout the vast chamber as he stepped towards me. Oh no. Byleth, across the room, looked at us. "The sister, Byleth. As insurance. You wouldn't risk your sister's life, now would you?"

Byleth froze, just staring at Aelfric. I tried to nod at Byleth, to tell him that it was okay, to just please save the others, but he wasn't looking my way. I kept hacking at the ropes. They were getting looser. My wrists had more room to move around in. If I rolled down the steps near me, maybe Yuri could reach me before the guards did.

Byleth moved forward. He directed everyone into two groups.

"I'm warning you, Professor," Aelfric said, raising his voice. "Stop moving."

Byleth looked at me this time. I was almost there. The ropes were about to slip right off my arms. I nodded at him, and he nodded back.

"Yuri, won't you tell the professor to stop?" Aelfric said. Byleth paused again. "Your fiancee is in danger."

Fiancee? Oh, right. Yuri had made up that lie before. Byleth glanced at Yuri, but Yuri just drew out his sword. A sign to continue. So Byleth's two groups advanced towards the guards.

Aelfric sighed and gave me a sad look. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this."

He held his hand out. The ropes were off my arms. I threw myself down the stairs, rolling away from him. Footsteps scrambled behind me. Then, the room shook. Or, it felt like the room shook. Really, it was more like I was being rattled from the inside. My head spun, and I found myself breathing heavily. What was going on?

I pushed myself into a sitting position, grabbed one of the larger knives from my shoe, and hacked at the ropes around my legs. Yuri was fighting the three nearby guards, who were all mages.

Aelfric cast another magic spell on me.

"Byleth!" Yuri yelled. I failed to dodge in time. I found myself coughing blood.

Aelfric turned back to the chalice. There was a dark red portal below me. It was the same as the ones that the Ashen Wolves had been standing on.

Ah… so Aelfric was draining my blood too. This was what Yuri was feeling, like my energy was being sapped away. My body was growing heavier and slower.

I finished slicing my legs free. I slipped the little blade away and pulled the other larger dagger from my shoe. Byleth's two groups were fighting their way towards us. Constance and Hapi hadn't moved yet, knowing that if they did, the nearby guards would attack them.

Balthus was fighting another two guards in between him and Yuri.

I ran for one of the mages. She turned before I could sink my dagger into her. She blasted me with Nosferateu, but it was weak. I stabbed her. She staggered backwards but remained standing.

She was about to attack me again, when a blue bolt of lightning struck her from the sky. I glanced over to see Constance's hand out and a smile on her face.

"Thanks!" I said. I turned to fight the other mage. I lunged and struck him with my dagger. Yuri had defeated the other mage too and finished this one off with a swipe of his sword. The third mage dropped to the floor.

He ran towards me, arms wrapping around mine. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said.

"Let me heal you." He was already healing me. I could feel the warm energy flowing through me, and my head was clearing up.

"We should help Balthus," I said. "Do you have an extra weapon?"

"Why is your head bleeding?" Yuri touched my hair on the side of my head. I reached a hand over too. The hair on the back of my head was matted with dried blood.

"Smacked my head against the ground."

Yuri gave me a spare sword he had. It was an old one, probably wouldn't survive this fight. My body was getting lighter. Balthus had defeated the axe thug and regrouped with us. I healed him up a bit, while he healed Yuri. Byleth's groups were approximately halfway through the room.

"Should we go get the others?" Balthus asked, gesturing towards where Constance and Hapi were waiting.

"Wait," Yuri said. "Let's wait."

So, we did. The first group reached Constance and Hapi soon enough. Dimitri and Byleth situated themselves on top of the red portals to block the ritual. We moved to meet up with Edelgard, Hilda, and Claude, helping battle the enemies between us. Edelgard and Hilda stepped on Yuri and Balthus's portal, while Claude stepped on mine.

And just like that the magic was stopped. The draining, heavy feeling stopped.

"You okay?" Claude asked me, as our group was moving to meet up with Byleth's in the middle.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Claude smirked at me. "You should have seen Yuri's face when we couldn't find you."

I didn't have to. Or want to. I'd probably seen it before. The pain in Yuri's lavender eyes, the way his eyebrows knitted together in worry, the way he'd bite his nail when he thought no one was looking.

"But that explains a lot," Claude was still saying with his hands clasped together behind his neck. I glanced at him. Byleth was shifting us around to face off against Aelfric. "You two are engaged, huh?"

Oh, right. I'd forgotten about that.

"Claude, Ashe!" Byleth called for them to take long range shots at Aelfric first, before Byleth and Edelgard attacked. Before long, Aelfric was defeated. Or so we'd thought.

* * *

After a quick chat with Lady Rhea, and a bathroom break for me, we found ourselves in the cathedral, facing the largest monster I'd ever seen before. And clones of Aelfric - lots of them.

"Even though they're just clones, I don't know if I can fight him," Constance was saying, looking pale even though we were all healed up.

Byleth had given me a better sword and a few bottles of vulnerary ahead of the battle. Again, Byleth organized our attack. The monster had strong armor that was difficult to penetrate.

There were lots of gambits. Lots of magic. And lots of arrows. Byleth had Edelgard, Dimitri, Balthus, Yuri and I fighting the monster head-on. We were the only ones who could withstand the counterattack, a heavy blow of sharp claws and armored skin.

But every so often, the monster would warp us all to different places. It'd take us a minute to recompose ourselves, figure out where we were and where everyone else was. The cathedral was big. Sometimes, if people were far enough away, they'd just spend the few minutes drinking healing potions before being rescrambled around again.

Balthus and I were both out of healing magic.

"Drink concoctions when you can," Byleth told us. It was awfully convenient that the Aelfric clones were carrying concoctions.

"Are we almost done yet?" Hilda asked, out of breath. I was leaning against my sword, while Edelgard blocked the monster's attack with her giant shield.

"Halfway there," Byleth said. I wondered how he could tell.

The monster roared and warped us all around again. When I regained my balance, I glanced around. Yuri was closest to the monster. Byleth was all the way at the end of the room. Not great.

I moved towards Yuri, who was preparing to gambit the monster. Byleth was sending Claude and Dimitri towards us, since they were riding a wyvern and a horse, respectively. The next closest person to us was Hapi.

The gambit had broken the monster's armor. I attacked with my sword and managed to dodge the counter attack. The monster then targeted Yuri.

"Yuri, I'll swap places with you after this!" I said.

"I'm out of gambits," he said.

"I've got one more," I said. "So leave it to me."

Yuri turned to Byleth, who nodded in agreement to my plan. Yuri stepped behind me, so I could lead a gambit attack on the monster. This attracted the monster's attention. Yuri and Claude, who'd flown into range, both attacked.

Then, the monster roared. It was a deafening, bone shakening loud roar. This was it. I planted my feet into the floor, while the monster swung its claws at me. I tried to dodge but wasn't fast enough. The blow sent me flying.

"Byleth!"

But then the room was spinning, and we were warped around. I landed on my hands and feet. I grabbed a concoction - my last one - and chugged it down. The clear liquid was bitter and tasted of medicinal herbs.

This time, Hilda and Dimitri were closer to the monster. I helped the others take out the clones. Lindhardt healed Yuri, then Dimitri. Again, the world shifted, and I found myself in a different part of the cathedral. It was making me feel dizzy.

"We're almost there!" Byleth said. He was in front of me, fighting the monster. "Come on, Byleth."

I gritted my teeth, gripped my sword, and ran closer. I tried to hit the monster as hard I could, then managed to dodge the counterattack.

"Nice," Byleth said, flashing a smile at me. The monster stomped its feet and turned away from both of us. What? I followed the monster's gaze and saw Ashe not too far from my right.

"Ashe!" I dashed towards Ashe, hoping to block the attack for him. The monster roared. Ashe was running backwards. My hand found Ashe's shoulder, and I pushed him further out of the way, while the monster's claws sliced through the air.

Then, Ashe's shoulder disappeared. I vaguely caught a glimpse of purple hair, before the hit sent my flying through the air. My back slammed against a nearby pillar. I coughed as I slid down to the floor.

"Byleth!"  
It was Yuri. Yuri? Oh. He must have warped Ashe and taken his position. Yuri wrapped my hand around a bottle. A concoction most likely. My vision was spotted and my heart thundering in my chest. I focused on breathing. I could hear Byleth attacking the monster once more. And through my unfocused vision, I could see the monster dissolving.

It was over.

"Byleth, drink the vulnerary," Yuri was saying. My vision was clearing. Yuri was kneeling over me, eyebrows furrowed in that worried look of his. Footsteps approached us. Byleth reached a hand towards me, but Yuri caught it. "Don't." Yuri's voice was low. Byleth withdrew his hand. "Sorry, instinct," Yuri said a moment later.

I uncorked the bottle and drank. The other students were gathering around us. In front, where the monster had been, I could see the limp bodies of Aelfric and Sitri. But the only thing I could see of my mother was her hair, the same shade of blue as mine.

"It's over?" Hapi said. Byleth nodded.

Yuri stood up and held a hand out towards me. I took it, and he pulled me onto my feet. Byleth went to retrieve the chalice.

"Come on," Yuri said, still holding my hand. "Let's report back to Lady Rhea."

We shuffled out of the cathedral. Lindhardt went around healing everyone as we walked to Rhea's audience room.

"Yuri, I'm fine," I said, when Yuri still hadn't released my hand. He squeezed my hand in response.

Rhea took the chalice from Byleth and dispatched the knights to clean up the cathedral. Then, she declared that the Ashen Wolves were now free to leave Abyss.

"That's great, Yuri!" I said, turning with a smile to him. He didn't mirror my happiness, though.

"But, Lady Rhea, how will I atone for my sins?" Yuri asked.

Rhea shook her head and gave Yuri a small smile. "That is up for you to decide."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	10. Confronting a Truth

“Hey Professor, do I get a free pass for the quiz this week?” I asked Byleth. He shook his head and then gestured at Dimitri and Ashe. “Well, you could give them a free pass too.”

It’d been a long day. We were walking to our dorm rooms, after eating dinner together. I wanted to get out of my dirtied, blood-stained clothes, crawl into bed, and pass out. The Ashen Wolves had returned to Abyss. Yuri said that since Aelfric was no longer protecting Abyss, they had a lot of work to do.

“Did you know that Aelfric would betray us?” I asked Byleth. He nodded. “Did you know he’d kidnap me?” Byleth shook his head. 

He walked with me to my room, and we stood there. Byleth stared at me for a second, then said, “So you and Yuri are engaged?”

Oh, right. I shook my head. “It’s not true.”

Byleth’s unwavering gaze was unnerving. The way he just stared and stared into my eyes. “But you two seem close,” he said. 

“We’re best friends,” I said.

“Not lovers?”

Lovers. The word surprised me so much that I choked on my own saliva. I coughed, hacking into my elbow. “What?” I said, when I could breathe again, and looked at Byleth.

Byleth just looked back. He shrugged. “I thought you two loved each other.”

“I do love him,” I said. “But it’s not a romantic kind of love.”

Byleth thought for a moment, tilting his head slightly, resting his cheek against his hand. Then he nodded at me. “I see. Good night then.”

I furrowed my eyebrows at him. What? What did he see? Was Byleth interested in Yuri? Would he start hitting on Yuri, now that he knew Yuri and I weren’t actually a couple? I shook my head to clear the thoughts away. Byleth was already walking off anyway.

“Good night,” I called after him with a wave. He glanced back and waved at me. Then I turned, entered my room, and collapsed on my bed. Everything ached, even after getting healed. I sighed, rolling onto my back. Then I sat up, slowly stripped off my clothes, and put on my pajamas.

Sweet sleep.

* * *

On Monday, Professor Manuela informed us of this month’s mission: another mock battle, at the Field of Eagle and Lion. The Tuesday quiz turned out fine, though I had to get another copy of the textbook. That thief never returned it -- or my sword or knives either. I had to buy new ones.

Tuesday evening, I returned to Abyss to see Rose. This time, the door was locked, and I had to use my spare to enter. Rose looked up at me. She was sitting at the kitchen table, with her hand hovering over a knife on the table. She relaxed once she spotted me and stood up.

“Byleth!” She walked towards me.  
“Hey, Rose, just came to check up on you,” I said, pulling her into an embrace. “You okay? Those thugs will leave you alone now.”

“Of course.” She patted my back. “I’m glad you’re okay too. I was so worried when they took you away. Thank Goddess you’re fine.”

We chatted for a bit. We didn’t talk about the hostage situation. We talked instead about what Yuri could do now that he was free to leave.

“And right when I was starting to warm up to this place.” Rose sighed with a smile on her face. “I hope you two take this opportunity to stop with the thieving, though.”

I nodded. “Yeah, if we can get more, um, reputable jobs, I suppose.”

I was heading out, when I bumped into Yuri in the doorway. He looked at me, then inside where Rose was, then back at me.

“Hey, Yuri,” I said.

“You’re not here to see me this time?” he asked with a smirk. I shook my head. “Actually, could we talk?”

“Right now?”

Yuri nodded.

“Okay.” I stepped back in the house but Yuri caught my arm.

“Outside,” he said. I heard Rose giggle. What was this about? So I followed Yuri out. We walked to the large bridge in Abyss. There was no one here. Yuri leaned against the stone banister.

“What is it?” I rested my arms on the cold stone too.

Yuri gazed out into the darkness below. “Sorry. I thought if we pretended to be engaged, it could protect you from the Church. But, in the end, it just endangered you.”

“So? I don’t care.” I stepped closer to him until our shoulders were touching. I stared at my hands. “I’d die for you, Yuri. I thought you knew that.” 

“I know, but you shouldn’t,” he said, words growing sharp. “I’d hate it… if you were to ever die and not take me with you.” One of his hands had curled into a fist.

“Did you know what Aelfric was planning? Is that why you told me to stay away?” I asked.

Yuri nodded. “I didn’t know what he was planning, but I knew he was planning something. I was watching him, and I didn’t want my actions to put you in danger.”

“And Rose…”

“Yeah.” Yuri shook his head, resting a hand on top of his hair. “Byleth.”

“What?” My palms were turning sweaty. I never liked it when Yuri used his serious voice: low, deep, and quiet. I couldn’t help but feel like he was going to say something like, “I don’t want to ever see you again.” Even though I knew that wasn’t possible, that it was illogical, that if he were to ever say that to me, I’d see it coming… Right? I fiddled with my fingers, waiting for Yuri’s response.

“Just… what am I to you?”

That was easy. “You’re my best friend,” I said. I thought he knew that too…

Yuri sighed. “Nevermind. I shouldn’t have asked.” He buried his face into his hands, elbows resting on the banister.

“Yuri.” I reached a hand out for his shoulder. “What’s going on?”

Yuri straightened up and looked me in the eye. “Nothing. Forget it, Byleth.” That was a blatant lie. It had to be. I withdrew my hand.

“So, since we’re just friends,” Yuri said, now leaning a cheek in his hand. “I can flirt with your brother, right? He’s handsome. And incredibly intelligent. Did you see the way he commanded the battle field?” He smirked at me.

I didn’t know what to say. I rubbed my left arm with my right hand. “Yeah. Go ahead.” I turned away from Yuri, looking off the bridge. “I told him that the engagement thing was a lie, anyway. He was curious.” There was a sour taste in my mouth and a knot in my stomach. I could imagine it: Byleth and Yuri flirting with each other, one smiling and the other serious. They would get along.

Yuri was silent too. We stood there. There was someone passing by on the bridge. We waited until their footsteps became distant echoes.

“Is that all?” I asked. I didn’t want to press him any further. Yuri could do whatever he wanted, flirt with whomever he wanted. He didn’t have to ask for my permission.

“Yeah,” Yuri said, quietly. There was a downcast look in his eyes. I’d said something wrong, hadn’t I? He didn’t want me to say that we were best friends. He wanted something more. I knew that, and yet… and yet…

It felt like someone was twisting a knife in my chest. I swallowed.

“Yuri, you know…” I dug my nails into the palm of my hand. “You know I don’t experience romantic attraction.”

“I know,” he said, almost in a whisper. He turned to me. “I know. But it doesn’t change the fact that I…” He looked away again. His Adam’s apple bobbed. “It doesn’t have to be romantic. Our relationship.”

“But, isn’t that what we are now?” I asked. I didn’t get it. What did Yuri want? And why was he bringing this all up now?

Yuri shook his head. He turned, completely, to face me. “I want to marry you, Byleth.”

My jaw dropped. An actual proposal? “But-but that  _ is _ romantic!”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be. I just--” He sighed. “Then, Byleth, what do you want from our relationship?”

“I just want it to stay the same,” I said.

“The exact same,” Yuri said. I nodded. “So you wouldn’t mind if I married someone else?”

Yuri marrying someone else? Again, something in my stomach was rolling around.

“Yuri, why?” I threw my hands down. “Why are we talking about this?”

“Because I don’t want us to stay the same.”

“You want us to marry,” I said, and he nodded. “And? Isn’t that just a title? A pair of rings? It wouldn’t actually change anything.”

“It’s not that. I want…” He reached a hand out for mine. I let him take it. “I want people to know how important you are to me. I want to grow old with you, Byleth. I want to be life partners.” He squeezed my hand.

I stared at our hands then pulled away, out of his grip. “Yuri… I-I need time to think.”

Yuri nodded. “Okay.” Then he smiled at me, his usual smirk. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind waiting.”

I didn’t like this. Any of this. I was afraid, and I didn’t know why. I was confused. I wanted to run away. So that’s what I did. I slowly stepped back.

“See you, Yuri,” I said, then I was walking away. I didn’t wait for his response. Once I’d rounded the corner, I broke into a run. I ran all the way back to my room.

* * *

On Wednesday, one of the monastery servants approached me and said, “You’re Byleth, right? Lady Rhea wants to speak with you.”

“Me?” I pointed at myself. “Not the professor?”

He shook his head. “The student, the sister, Byleth.”

I nodded and stood up from where I was reading in the library. “Okay, thank you.”

I walked through the hallways to Lady Rhea’s audience room. The guards opened the double doors for me. Rhea was looking at an opened book in her hand and glanced up when I walked closer.

“Byleth, thank you for coming,” she said with a small smile. She held the book out towards me. “I thought you’d want to see this.”

It was a leather-bound notebook with dark ink scrawled across the pages. “What is this?” I asked. 

“It’s a journal that Aelfric kept,” Rhea said. “That page in particular might interest you.”

The handwriting was slanted and narrow, so it took me a second to start reading.

_ “13th of Horsebow Moon (9), 1163. I haven’t heard back from the man I hired to find the twins. He hasn’t sent a letter for over two weeks now. I’ve hired a new scout, and he told me that Jeralt only has one of the kids with him. If that damn thief I hired stole the child from me, I won’t rest until I get my hands on him.” _

I looked up at Rhea, mouth hanging open. “Y-You mean…”

Rhea nodded. “Try the next page as well.”

I did. It was a different date. 

_ “29th of Horsebow Moon (9), 1163. Finally found the thief. He told me he’d lost the kid in a fight, had no idea where the kid went. But Jeralt hasn’t found the child either. If Sitri’s child is dead, I will never be able to forgive myself. Goddess, please save the child.” _

I swallowed. “So, the reason I was an orphan… Aelfric was responsible?”

“I’m afraid so,” Rhea said. “I had Knights search Aelfric’s quarters. There are traces of heavy magical protection on the journal, but it all broke once he passed away. I thought you would want to see this. I hope it clears up some questions you might have.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Lady Rhea. But, why would he want to kidnap me or my brother?”

“I don’t believe Aelfric meant any harm,” Rhea said. “Here, try the year 1159, Wyvern Moon.”

I flipped through the pages and saw the dates leap backwards in time. Year 1162, then year 1161. Finally, I found a page with the date.

_ “3rd of Wyvern Moon (10), 1159. Jeralt has vanished with the twins after the great fire. All I’d wanted was to watch them grow up, to take care of them in Sitri’s place, but now they’re gone. There are so many stories of their mother that I could share with them, but now I can’t. I don’t know what to do. I miss Sitri so much. Seeing the twins had given me hope. They have such blue hair like Sitri. Oh, Sitri, I wish I could see your smile once more.” _

I looked up at Rhea. I wasn’t sure what to make of this. Aelfric had been in love with my mother. Great. Why did he have to go and kidnap a kid? Did he think that’d do anyone any good?

“There’s more.” Rhea flipped through the pages again until another date surfaced. “Here.”

_ “19th of Verdant Moon (8), 1162. My scouts have finally found where Jeralt is. He’s a mercenary now. I can’t believe he’s being a mercenary with two kids. There’s no way he’s raising them well, surrounded by violence and constantly moving homes. I have a plan. I’ll take the kids and raise them myself. No, both of them would be too difficult. Just one will do. I’ll give them a proper parent and a proper home.” _

There was more, but it was enough for me. I handed the journal back to Rhea. My stomach was churning.

“Thanks,” I said, pushing my hair back. “I’ve seen enough.”

Rhea nodded and passed the notebook to a nearby servant. “That’s all I had to share with you.”

I bowed my head. “I understand. Have a good day, Lady Rhea.” Then I turned and left. My footsteps were short and quick.

I could have had a  _ family. _ If someone hadn’t interfered, thinking he was doing someone favors. Instead, I grew up in a tiny shack with three other kids. I was cold and hungry more times than I wasn’t. We helped clean the house and learned to play with sticks and stones, because that was all we had.

I didn’t know where I was walking to. I was just walking. I was outside now. I walked towards the pond, thoughts still racing.

I could have had a better life. All this time I’d thought my parents hadn’t wanted me, which was why I was at the orphanage. But actually, I  _ did _ have a parent, who did want me, who’d looked for me, who would have loved me. 

My eyes burned with tears. I blinked them back and kept walking towards the monastery gates.

I was adopted once, by a couple who appeared kind and ordinary, when I was eight or nine. The orphanage lady had told me to to be an obedient child, and then I’d have parents and a family. So that was what I did. I was quiet. I ate the food they placed in front of me, which was certainly better than whatever we had at the orphanage. I played with the dolls they gave me, even though I didn’t like dolls, because that was what they expected me to do. But when the man got drunk and hit me, I’d hit him back.

They sent me back to the orphanage after that, saying I was a feral, strange child, who was too quiet and emotionless. The orphanage lady had chastised me and said that I wasn’t a very good child and that was why they’d sent me back. She’d mentioned how one of the other kids had been adopted a year ago and hadn’t returned since. Why couldn’t I be more like that kid?

I’d walked outside of the monastery and was now traipsing through the woods. I just wanted somewhere quiet, where no one could find me. The trees grew closer and closer as I went deeper into the forest. Then, when I’d found a very shady spot, I lay down on the grass, arms behind my head.

I stared up at the forest foliage, glimmers of light peeking through.

I remembered learning how to fight because of thugs and bullies. I learned how to claw and bite and kick and punch. It didn’t matter how dirty I fought. All that mattered was that they’d leave us alone.

That was how I’d met Yuri too. Some kids were picking on him, saying disgusting things about his mother. I beat them up.

I sighed.

“Woah.”

I sat up, hand flying to my sword at my waist. It was a familiar voice, though. Claude stepped into view.

“Fancy running into you here,” Claude said, smirking. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

I rested my arms on my knees. “I just wanted to get away from people.”

“Same. I came here to take a nap,” Claude said. He dropped down on the ground beside me, stretching his arms out. “This is a nice napping spot.” He closed his eyes.

I slowly leaned back down to the ground again too, but it was harder to relax with someone nearby. Especially someone I wasn’t close to. But I stayed there, because I didn’t know what else to do.

Within a few minutes, Claude’s breathing slowed and deepened. I glanced at him. Had he really fallen asleep like that beside me? He must be quite carefree. I went back to staring at the dark leaves above me. The weather was nice. It was a bit cooler in the forest. There was a peaceful wind that rustled the leaves, bushes, and grass. Some birds were chirping.

At least Claude had distracted me. I wasn’t fond of remembering the past. There weren’t too many good memories, until Yuri, Rose, and I left the village behind.

I thought about how Aelfric had just wanted to take one of us, either of us, and wondered what it would have been like if Byleth had ended up in my position. Would the orphanage lady have called him by my name, whatever that was? Would he have been adopted, successfully, by some family? Would he be best friends with Yuri, too? Would he have survived the plague?

Would I be the professor instead? If I’d grown up thinking of Jeralt as my father, learning how to fight, being a merc, moving from village to village… I wondered if Byleth had made any friends, if he’d used what he could find as toys to play with. Were there any kids in the mercenary group? I doubted it. Maybe he had a lonely childhood...

I found myself closing my eyes too. The grass was tickling my neck. I rolled my head to a more comfortable position. I think I was falling asleep.

* * *

“Byleth, hey Byleth, wake up.” Claude was shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and sat up.

“Ugh, what time is it?” I asked, rubbing an eye. It was a lot darker in the forest.

“Late.” Claude stood up. “Come on. Let’s go back to the monastery.”

I yawned, while standing. “Agreed.”

Claude led the way. He seemed to have a good idea of where to go. “I’m surprised you fell asleep.” He flashed a smile at me. “I was counting on you to wake me up.”

“Oh.” I rubbed the back of my head. My hair was tangled. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It was just comfortable.”

“So why’d you want to get away from people?” Claude held a tree branch up as he passed under it. I ducked under it too.

“Just wanted some space to think.” I rubbed my left arm. It was getting colder. “Do you nap in forests often?”

“Sometimes.”

I could see the edge of the forest ahead of us. We stepped out. The sun had set, and the sky was dark. How long had we been there? It was maybe early evening when I’d arrived at the forest, but now it looked almost like night.

We were trekking up the path to enter the monastery’s small marketplace. The tents were empty, and the merchants were gone. I contemplated telling Claude that my impression of him had changed and apologizing for judging him so harshly at first. Did he know that I’d been so judgemental with him? Maybe, probably. Would he even care if I apologized? My feet were getting sweaty. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. 

“You know,” I said, and then swallowed. Claude glanced at me then back at our path. I knew what words I was going to say. I just had to say them. “I think I misjudged you.” Claude didn’t turn back this time. “And I’m sorry about that.”

Claude just maintained his smile at me. “No worries. You’re not the first one to. That’s why I want to change Fodlan’s view of outsiders.”

“Outsiders?” I wasn’t sure what that had to do with this. Sure, Claude was a bit more tan than everyone else. “What?” I furrowed my brows at him.

“Then what did you misjudge me on?” Claude asked, eyes widening.

“I thought you were a flirtatious, selfish person,” I said, rubbing my left arm.

He smirked. “You’re not wrong.”

My throat was dry. I licked my lips. “But I think that’s more of an act,” I said. We walked up the steps to pass the gates and entered the great hall.

“Oh? Are you sure about that?” Claude winked at me.

“Are you saying you’re an outsider? Outsider to what? Nobles? Or Fodlan?”

“Fodlan.” Claude nodded.

“Huh,” I said. “Then where are you from?”

He smiled. “That’s a secret.”

We passed through the gardens to reach the dorms. Claude’s room was on the second floor. He waved at me. “See you around, Byleth.”

“Thanks, Claude.” I smiled and waved back.

Claude’s eyes widened for a second in surprise, but then he smiled again. This time it felt warmer. “You’re an interesting person, Byleth, and I mean that. Good night.” Then he walked off.

I returned to my room, stretching my arms and back a bit. I wasn’t sleepy after the nap and there was still an assignment due the next day. Sitting down at my desk, I picked up a quill. Though I’d wanted to be alone with my thoughts, having company had been nice, even if it was unexpected. Maybe there was something reassuring about being with someone, like the Goddess was trying to show me that I wasn’t alone.

I ruffled my hair and focused on the assignment in front of me. Now wasn’t the time to think about this. I’d better start writing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :) Just to be clear, Byleth is aromantic asexual.


	11. Fighting Another Mock Battle

I didn’t visit Abyss during the weekend. Instead, I volunteered to take on Hilda’s kitchen duties, since she was feeling under the weather from all the Abyss fighting. I joined Byleth in a Saturday lunch with Dimitri, where Dimitri told us about his plans for the future. It made me feel like Byleth and I were interviewing each of the house leaders, trying to decide who was most suitable to rule.

Dimitri’s main goal was to unite Faerghus again. The Kingdom was falling into disarray without a king to lead for so long. Dimitri wanted to aid the poor and underprivileged and wanted to ensure the nobles were doing their job and taking care of the common folk. Overall, perhaps not as grand of a goal as Edelgard or Claude’s, but it was also the most realistic and feasible.

“Are you interested in the Kingdom, Professor?” Dimitri asked, a small glimmer in his blue eyes.

Byleth nodded. “I’m interested in all the countries.”

I tried not to laugh. It reminded me of shooting someone’s flirtatious advances down. I glanced at Dimitri. The sparkle was still in his eyes. He didn’t look disappointed or discouraged.

Afterwards, I went to the library to study and work on my assignments with my classmates. We got dinner together and then walked back to our dorm rooms. I continued on my assignments, in my own room, but alone, my thoughts kept wandering back to my conversation with Yuri.

I sighed, resting my face in my hands. I didn’t know what I wanted. I just wanted things to stay the same. Was that so wrong? But if Yuri were to fall in love with someone else, if he were to marry someone else… Would we still be able to stay as we were now? Would I be able to go looking for him, whenever I wanted to, for a hug? Would he still worry about me like he did now?

Or would his attention be diverted to his spouse?

I swallowed. Tears welled up in my eyes. I hated this. I hated this. It felt like I was being penned in. Like someone was pointing a blade at me, telling me I had to choose. I didn’t want Yuri to leave me. I never did. If he married someone else, wouldn’t he leave me? He’d leave me for his spouse.

But if I married Yuri… what if we got in a fight? What if Yuri decided, nevermind, I don’t want to do this, and then left me?

I suppose neither situation led to a win. I wanted us to stay the same because the same was safe. Yuri wouldn’t leave me, if we stayed as we were. But now he was saying he would, or he could, and I hated it. How could he push me like this? Even though he knew… 

I found myself walking outside. The cool, fresh air on my face felt like a refreshing hug. I walked past the student dorms to where the professors stayed. I found Byleth’s room and knocked. Maybe he was asleep. Why was I going to him, anyway? I turned around, about to return to my room, when the door opened.

“Byleth?”

I turned back around. Too late. I smiled at Byleth, while chuckling sheepishly, rubbing the back of my head. “Can we talk?” I asked.

Byleth nodded and stepped aside for me to enter.

His room was warm and cozy. The desk was covered in books and paper and broken quills. To the side of his desk was another pile of books. His bed was messy. There was a private bathroom off to the side. Byleth sat down on his bed and gestured at the desk chair. I sat down.

He stared at me and waited.

I cleared my throat. My palms were sweaty. “Uh…” I swallowed. I wasn’t sure why I’d come to him. “Um… do you think it’s possible to completely understand someone?”

Byleth thought in his thinking pose, gazing vaguely upwards. Then he shrugged. “I don’t know.”

The words sank into me. He didn’t know… I thought Byleth knew everything. Or close to everything. He could predict the future, couldn’t he?

I sighed. “It’s just… I wish I could. You know? I wish I could understand someone, completely. Entirely.”

Byleth nodded, as if he understood.

More than that, I wished I could understand and accept someone, completely, entirely. But I couldn’t bring myself to say that to Byleth. I stood up. “Sorry. It’s late. You were probably asleep.” I shouldn’t be here.

Byleth stood up and shook his head. “You can tell me, whatever it is,” he said.

I looked him in the eye, a slightly darker shade of blue than mine. Then I looked down at the floor. It’d be too difficult to explain everything -- to explain who I was and what Yuri meant to me. I shook my head. I moved towards the door. 

“Byleth,” he said, voice quiet and gentle. “I’m here and I’ll be here for you, whatever it is and whenever.”

I swallowed. My heart was squeezing too tightly, like it would burst any second. “Thanks,” I said. The words felt thick in my throat. “I--” I lowered my head. I was shaking. Oh Goddess. Maybe that was all I needed to hear. I hugged myself. I couldn’t go to Rose, because she was in Abyss and it was about Yuri, and I couldn’t go to Yuri, because he was the problem. But they were the only two I ever knew to confide in.

Byleth touched my arm. It was a light tap. I looked up at him.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

I went back to gazing at the wooden planks below my feet. “How much do you know about Yuri?”

“Adopted by Count Rowe, mother was a prostitute, has the Crest of Aubin, nineteen-years-old, skilled at sword and light magic, an excellent tactician, and has a sweet tooth.” Byleth spoke like he was reading off of a grocery list.

That was a decent amount.

I nodded. My arms tightened around myself. “I used to think that I understood Yuri like he was a part of me, like another half of me. Then, he was adopted by Count Rowe, and I only got to see him once a month. And he never told me the specifics of what he did there, living under Count Rowe’s house. He was always vague about it. After that… since that, I feel like he’s so much harder to read. But I wish I could, you know? I wish I could still read him the way I used to…” I bit my bottom lip. What was I saying? “Sorry. I’m rambling.”

Byleth was shaking his head. “It’s okay. Thanks for confiding in me.” There was a small smile on his face.

“You wouldn’t have any advice would you?” I said. I’d stopped shaking. “I guess I didn’t even tell you what’s wrong. Nevermind. It’d be too difficult to explain.”

“That’s okay. Why don’t you talk to Yuri? You can still learn to understand him again,” Byleth said. He was right, but talking to Yuri right now, when I didn’t know what to do or what I wanted… 

I nodded. “Yeah, eventually. I just-- I need some time to think.” I was backing up towards the door again. Byleth had one outstretched hand, but he withdrew it again. I opened the door. “Thanks, Byleth.” I tried to smile at him.

“Anytime,” he said, smiling back.

I closed the door behind me. It was dark out, and the air felt even chillier than before. I hurried back to my room.

* * *

The next weekend, I was pacing near the tunnel entrance to Abyss, trying to gather enough courage to go see Yuri. I walked past the tunnel, stopped, turned, and walked back. What if Yuri was busy? No, that wasn’t the problem. My stomach was tossing and turning. In truth, I didn’t want to go see him. But I knew avoiding him would lead to nothing.

There were footsteps coming from the tunnel. I dove off to the side, near the stairs that led to the spa. I glanced over the edge to see who it was. And, Goddess, it was Yuri.

I gulped, leaning against the wall. Should I step out now? His footsteps grew louder as he approached. Should I see where he’s going? 

Then, Yuri popped his head into view. I jumped, yelping.

“Goddess, Yuri!” I said.

“Sorry, Byleth,” he said, laughing. “But I could tell someone was here.”

“What kind of sixth sense do you have?” I stepped back. My heart was still pounding loudly in my chest. I let out a sigh.

“Sorry,” he said again. “Sorry, for what I said too.”

Oh. Right. I shook my head. “No--”

“You’re afraid, right? I made you afraid.” Yuri shook his head, pressing a hand over his eye. He sighed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

So he knew. My shoulders relaxed, a bit. Maybe I was easier to read than Yuri was. I rubbed my left arm. “Yuri… Can we talk?”  
“Aren’t we already?” Yuri smirked at me. I smiled back. We walked to a bench in the gardens, between the dorms and the cafeteria. It was a sunny afternoon.

After we sat down, I stared at my hands. “I thought about what I want… from you. Or, uh, from our relationship.” My cheeks felt warm. “And, well, Yuri, you’re the most important person in this world to me. And I just want to be the most important person in this world to you.” I swallowed.

“You already are,” Yuri said. I glanced at him. Under the soft rays of sunlight, Yuri’s hair looked like flower petals. He smiled at me. I looked away.

“Then, why does it matter what we label ourselves for others?” I stared at my fists resting on my knees.

“I thought about what I said some more, too, and I don’t think I conveyed things very well. I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was trying to put a nice label on us for others. You know me, Byleth.” Yuri smirked at me. “I usually have a plan. Turns out just spewing words at you isn’t the best plan.”

I clasped my hands together and waited for Yuri to finish explaining.

“To me, marriage is a promise to be life partners, to  _ not _ leave each other, to grow old together. Of course, I thought it’d have the added benefit of getting people who might be interested in you to leave you alone.” Yuri shrugged. “Like Claude.”

“Claude’s not  _ interested _ in me,” I said, sounding incredulous. “He’s just interested in my skills, and my brother, and what he thinks I can provide to the Alliance.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure about that?”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Anyway, you were saying?”

“I was saying… you’re not the only one afraid of being abandoned,” Yuri said. “It’s just a promise, a pledge.”

I stared at my feet.  _ But what if you fall in love with someone else? What if you realize that you could have so much more with someone else? What if you feel chained to me? What if you feel like I’m just dragging you down? _

“Byleth?” Yuri was waiting. His hand was on the bench, near me but not quite touching. 

“Yuri…” Of course I’d love to grow old with you. That was the plan all along, if you didn’t leave me. I thought you knew that. Wasn’t it an unspoken promise? I pulled my knees up onto the bench and wrapped my arms around them.

“Byleth,” Yuri said. I buried my head into my knees.

_ I don’t know. I don’t know. _

“Byleth, you okay?” Yuri said again.

There were footsteps coming closer. “Byleth? Are you all right?” A different voice. I glanced up to see Mercedes and Annette staring at me with concern.

“Is this man bothering you?” Annette asked, in a whisper, cupping her mouth, though Yuri could definitely hear her.

I shook my head. “N-No, I’m okay.” I smiled at them. “I’m fine, haha, just… you know. Cold.” That was obviously a lie. I was sweating a bit from the warm sun. “He’s a friend,” I said, gesturing at Yuri.

Yuri stood up. “Yuri Leclerc.” He held a hand out towards Mercedes, who shook it cautiously.

“Mercedes von Bartels.”

Yuri held his hand out towards Annette, who shook his hand enthusiastically, “I’m Annette Dominic. You better not be hurting Byleth!”

Yuri glanced at me, and I just tried to smile. “H-He’s not. We’re, um… I’m, uh, fine!”

“If you say so,” Annette said. She gave Yuri a good glare. 

“We’re talking about some stuff,” I said. “I was just thinking.”

“Hmm, okay,” Mercedes said, patting my shoulder. “Then we’ll get going.” She nudged Annette away.

Annette waved at me, as they walked off. “See you later, Bylie!”

I waved them goodbye. Yuri sat back down.

“Sorry,” I said.

“No, I’m glad you’ve found some good friends.” Yuri smiled at me. “Bylie.”

I shook my head. “Yuri, I don’t want you to regret this,” I said.

“And why would I?” His smile grew wider. “You think I don’t know what I want? Don’t look down at me, Byleth, or yourself. I  _ know _ … I want to stay by your side.” Then his eyes darkened, and he looked away. “Byleth, when I was living with Count Rowe… you have no idea how much I missed you.”

I rested my hands beside me on the bench and stretched my legs out in front of me. “I missed you a lot, too. It felt like I was losing you. Like we were growing apart. And I didn’t like that, or want that, but I also didn’t know what to do. It’s just…” I sighed. “It’s easier to pull away, you know? It’s easier to not let myself be so emotionally invested. That way, if you do leave me, it would hurt less.”

“I don’t want to leave you, Byleth. That’s what I’ve been trying to say.”

“I know.”

“Then?” Yuri glanced at me.

“Well, I don’t want to get married yet. I’m still young,” I said and smiled at him. “Give me like five years.”

Yuri smiled at me. “Really?”

I nodded. “Really.”

“Can I hug you?” Yuri asked. I nodded, and he threw his arms around me. When he pulled away, he was smirking. His face was inches from mine. “Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

“Of course.” I smiled back. “I was planning on staying with you until you got rid of me. And you can’t get rid of me so easily.”

Yuri pulled me into a hug again. I wrapped my arms around him. “Good,” he said. “Does that mean you’ll start visiting Abyss again?” I nodded, my chin digging into his shoulder. “Great. You wouldn't believe how much of an earful my mother gave me when you didn’t show up last week. Kept saying that I was too rude to you and now she had to pay the price too.”

I laughed, drawing away. “Really?” I said. Yuri nodded. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to avoid you, or Rose, or Abyss.” I fiddled with my hair.

“It’s okay.” Yuri took my hand. “Don’t worry about it, Byleth. I understand.” I smiled and squeezed his hand.

“Okay.” 

* * *

We travelled into Empire territory for the mock battle. The Academy had prepared carriages for us to ride, four students a carriage. When we arrived, we organized into our classes, and trumpets kickstarted the battle. Whichever class took out the most units would win. Although my classmates and I had all grown stronger since the previous mock battle, the other houses had grown stronger too. Byleth especially.

This time, all the students and professors were on the field.

My class took the west side of the field. Byleth’s red house took the south end, and the yellow house was on the east side. Dimitri led our class’s attack. We moved east first, towards the Golden Deer.

Hilda, Lorenz, Marianne, and Ignatz were holding the east line, while Lysithea, Leonie, Raphael, and Professor Hanneman were facing the south. Dimitri and Dedue led our attack. My sword clashed with Hilda’s axe.

Byleth’s class engaged with the other Golden Deer students. Claude was taking shots at them from where he stood behind the others.

Dimitri had defeated Lorenz. Dedue was fighting Ignatz, and Marianne was retreating. I knocked Hilda’s axe back. Ashe was shooting arrows at her from behind me. It didn’t feel like a fair fight.

Byleth’s class had broken through the yellow house line and was now battling Felix, Sylvain, and Ingrid. Annette and Mercedes were backing them up with magic.

I took another swing at Hilda. 

“Ow!” she said.

“Sorry.” I grimaced. Ashe landed another arrow on Hilda, and our combined attacks were enough to knock her out. Hilda retreated.

“Ashe, go support the south side. Byleth, Annette, come with us!” Dimitri told me. He and Dedue had just finished off poor Marianne, but Ferdinand and Bernadetta had defeated Professor Hanneman. Mercedes was healing Dedue. “We’ll take care of Claude.”

“Not so fast.” Edelgard and Byleth stepped in between us and Claude. “We’re taking out Claude.”

“Really?” Claude said and fired an arrow at Byleth. Byleth dodged it though. Dimitri took on Edelgard, while Dedue battled Byleth. Annette was blasting fireballs at Edelgard, which did wonders against Edelgard, who was weak against magic.

I joined Dedue in fighting Byleth, but Dorothea and Bernadetta were moving to back them up.

“Ouch. Agh!”

There was lots of noise coming from Sylvain. I’d hit Byleth once, when Bernadetta’s arrow whizzed by me, grazing my shoulder. Oh boy. I glanced to check out the situation. Sylvain was retreating, defeated by Hubert and Caspar. Petra and Ferdinand were fighting Ingrid and Felix. Lindhardt was yawning while taking turns healing his classmates.

“Focus, Byleth!” Dimitri said.

Ashe was trying to defeat Bernadetta. Dorothea was blasting Dedue with magic. I could hear Caspar charging towards me. I blocked his attack with my sword. Hubert had stayed behind to turn the tides in their favor.

“Take this!” Caspar said and swung again. I dodged this time. Then I dashed for him and struck him with my sword. Caspar stumbled back a few steps, before rushing at me again with his axe. This time, I wasn’t quite fast enough, and his blade scraped my thigh. Ouch. I bit my lip and hit him back, landing a blow on his chest.

Felix was down, but not before taking Ferdinand out. Ashe’s attention was on Hubert now, and Mercedes was busy healing Dimitri.

A fireball flew past me and hit Caspar. That did some good damage. I took the opportunity to hit him on the arm. Then, a dark magic spell hit me. I couldn’t breathe for a second. When I looked up, I saw Hubert standing behind Caspar. Lindhardt was healing Caspar. Oh no.

We fought a bit longer. Ingrid came to my rescue, after she and Ashe defeated Petra.

“Sorry, everyone, I’m going to have to retreat,” a voice came from behind me. When I looked over, Dimitri was leaning against his lance, face pale and sweating. Dedue wasn’t looking much better. Mercedes’s eyebrows were furrowed in worry.

The Black Eagles were gaining strength in numbers. Edelgard plowed past Dedue to attack Annette. Byleth and Dorothea finished off Dedue. I took out Caspar, but had trouble dodging Hubert’s attacks.

I took quick inventory. Ingrid was still in. Annette was in trouble. Mercedes too. Ashe was helping them with Edelgard. We could still take on Hubert, Dorothea, and Bernadetta. Edelgard and Byleth? They’d be a lot more difficult.

Byleth’s attention was moving towards Claude now. 

I moved towards my classmates, while yelling, “Ashe, take out Dorothea! Ingrid, get Bernie. I’ll stall Edelgard.”

Annette ran past me while flinging fireballs behind her at Edelgard. Nice. Then I saw Lindhardt some distance behind Edelgard, healing her. Not so great. Edelgard’s axe met my sword with a heavy clang. I couldn’t underestimate her.

Mercedes was healing Annette, and Annette was fighting Hubert. Ferdinand and Byleth had left us to finish Claude and Raphael off.

I gritted my teeth and pushed Edelgard back. She blocked my next attack with her shield. Darn. I dodged Edelgard’s next swing. She was strong, but at least she wasn’t as fast as Byleth.

“Dorothea and Bernadetta are down,” Annette called from behind me. “Sorry!” I couldn’t look behind me but it sounded like Ferdinand was back.

Edelgard swung her axe again, and this time hit me square in the gut. Oof. I stumbled backwards a bit, almost falling, but regained my balance. I blocked Edelgard’s next attack. I couldn’t land a single attack on her.

“Annette, can you help me here?” I asked.

“I’m out!” Annette replied. “Ferdinand got me.”

Ashe was yelling, and Mercedes was saying, “Oh no!” That didn’t sound good.

“Ashe, go help Byleth,” Ingrid said. She sounded out of breath.

“Got it!” Ashe said.

Unfortunately, Ashe’s arrows weren’t much more effective against Edelgard than my sword was. At least they diverted her attention for a second, giving me an opening to hit her in the side.

“Oof.” Edelgard’s eyes narrowed, and she swung at me. I jumped to the side. The axe sliced the air near my head. Oh wow. I think I almost died.

“Claude’s out,” someone announced. That wasn’t good. Glancing around the field, I could see Byleth and Hubert were moving to join Ferdinand. We were outnumbered.

“Got him,” Ingrid said, finishing Ferdinand off with a swift strike of her lance. Mercedes healed Ingrid up then started healing me. Byleth immediately engaged with Ingrid, their blades clashing. Hubert was trying to take Mercedes out. 

“Ashe, get Lindhardt,” I said. I dodged another one of Edelgard’s attacks. Ashe nodded and ran around Edelgard and me.

“Wait!” Edelgard turned to chase after them. Her armor clanked loudly. I ran after her too and struck her shoulder with my sword.

“Don’t turn your back on me,” I said. Ashe and Lindhardt were fighting behind her now. I couldn’t let her get to Ashe.

Edelgard took a step back, then lunged forward with a heavy strike. Oh no. I tried to block, but she still knocked me off my feet. I landed on the ground and quickly rolled back onto my feet before Edelgard could hit me.

She swung again. My back bumped into Ingrid’s.

“Wah!” Ingrid was shouting. I felt her back slip down. I attacked Edelgard, but she blocked it. Darn it. I couldn’t get a single blow in.

“Ingrid’s out,” Mercedes said, quietly. Byleth and Hubert wasted no time in taking Mercedes out. Uh oh.

“I got Lindhardt!” Ashe said. I was backing away from the three. Ashe ran to my side. “Oh no.”

“Just stay behind me,” I said, “and try to get Hubert, if you can.”

Of course, trying to block and dodge Byleth and Edelgard’s attacks was near impossible. I managed to hit Byleth once in the arm, and Edelgard once more on her shin, before Byleth slashed me across the stomach.

“You don’t make this easy,” he said, lowering his sword.

Ow ow ow ow ow. I tried to take deep breaths. I glanced down at the red line running across my belly. Warm blood was oozing out onto my hand. “You don’t go easy on me either,” I said, breath ragged.

“Byleth, you okay?” Ashe said. Hubert hit him with a magic blast and that took him out. We walked together to the medical tent set up off the field. The rest of the students were sitting nearby, watching.

Dimitri was shaking his head. “If I had been more careful, we would have stood a better chance.”

I shook my head too. “Trying to win against Byleth is impossible.”

“Well, certainly with that attitude,” Dimitri said.

I suppose he was right. I sat down on a bench, and one of the nurses started healing me. If I thought we weren’t going to win, then it’d just be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Annette sat down besides me and poked my shoulder. “Hey, isn’t that your friend?” She pointed behind us. I turned my head to see. It was Yuri, in a nurse uniform, healing Lindhardt. What was he doing here?

“You all right, Byleth?” Mercedes asked, taking the seat on the other side of me.

I nodded. “Yeah, thanks. Nice job, you two.”

“Did you two talk things out?” Annette asked.

“Yeah.” I clasped my hands together. “We did. Thanks.” I smiled at them.

The nurse finished healing me. My stomach had stopped bleeding, but the cut still felt tender. I leaned back on my hands with a quiet sigh.

Lady Rhea was declaring the Red House as victors of the mock battle. The nurses were making sure everyone was healed up enough to return to the monastery. Once we were ready to depart, we all shuffled back towards the horses. There was talk of a grand feast in the cafeteria together.

It was time to return to the monastery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	12. Dancing

Byleth and I were fishing together, the first Saturday of the new month. There were lots of large fish today, so Byleth kept reeling in fish after fish. My legs hung off the pier, and I stared at the murky turquoise water.

"Will you join my class for this month's mission?" Byleth asked.

"What is it?" I kept my eyes on the hook.

"We're saving students in an old church."

I frowned at him. "What? Shouldn't people be going now?"

"No, they're not in danger right now." Byleth shook his head. I didn't get it. "I'll need your help," he said. "With something specific." A fish bit his line and he pulled. A trout flew through the air, splattering us with water, before landing on the deck between Byleth and me.

"Okay." I shrugged. "Why me, though?" I glanced at Byleth. He looked up at me and then back at the fish he'd caught. "It's not like you can't trust your students, right?"

"You're different," Byleth said, quietly. "Only you can do it."

"Why?" What did that mean?

Byleth shook his head. "I don't know." Another lie, probably. I turned back to my line. A fish was nibbling. "I'm still figuring it out," Byleth said. "I'll tell you when I do, okay?"

I met his eyes, so blue and clear. I nodded. "Okay."

The fish bit. I yanked hard on the pole and brought the fish out of the pond. Byleth smiled and clapped his hands together. The fish dropped beside me.

"I have another favor," Byleth said, as I was gutting and cleaning the fish. I nodded for him to continue. He was just full of favors today. "For the ball, I want Dimitri and Edelgard to dance together."

I tossed the fish into the ice bucket. It was almost full. "What? Do you want them to become a couple?"

Byleth shook his head. "Just friends."

"How are we going to do that? You do know that those two are really popular, right? I bet there will be a line out the door to dance with them." I flung my line back into the ponds.

"You dance with Dimitri, and I'll dance with Edelgard," Byleth said. "We meet at the middle of the room when the song ends. Then we'll dance together. Dimitri and Edelgard will naturally dance together."

I raised an eyebrow at the water. "All right." I wasn't sure if that'd work.

"You'll do it?"

I nodded, smiling at him. "Yeah. That actually sounds a bit fun."

Byleth grinned, for a split second. Then it was gone. "Thanks."

I pulled my line back up. "I think I'm done for the day," I said.

Byleth nodded and stood too. He picked up the bucket. "Thanks, really." He smiled at me. We returned our fishing poles. I went back to my room to grab my books and assignments. There was the White Heron Cup and ball this month, but there were also exams coming up. I had lots to study.

* * *

I went to Abyss the following weekend to see Rose, only to find Yuri at home instead. He was sitting with his feet propped up on the table, reading a book. He glanced up when I entered.

"Byleth!" Yuri's eyes lit up, and he drew his feet off the table. I shifted my weight on my feet. Good thing I'd brought my study materials.

"Hey, where's Rose?"

"Out getting groceries," Yuri said. "I offered to go with her, but she said that I'd just get in the way."

I sat down across from him and pulled my books and papers out. It wouldn't take Rose too long to be back, I hoped.

"What are you reading?" I asked, just to keep some kind of conversation going and the focus off of me.

"A novel." Yuri showed me the blue cover.

"About?" I brought a quill out and a bottle of ink.

"A world where there's no magic. Can you imagine that?" Yuri chuckled.

I smiled. "That sounds like a boring world."

"Well, there's a lot of drama in it," Yuri said. "And terrible people."

My quill hovered above the blank page. _Think, Byleth. I need a topic sentence._ I wasn't sure what I was doing. Something was gnawing the insides of my stomach. It was easier when Rose was around, easier to just focus on Rose and not on… on _us._

"Byleth, relax," Yuri said, softly.

"What?" I leaned back in my chair and gave Yuri a weird look. "I'm totally relaxed."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're also a terrible actor." I sighed and set the quill down. Yuri let his book fall shut. "What's wrong?"

What's wrong? What's _wrong_? I couldn't look him in the eye, staring at the off-white wall. "Yuri, I-I don't know. Things are just weird. And awkward."

"What do you mean?"

"Between us, I mean." I looked at him, then away again. "I don't know. It feels like things are supposed to change between us, and I don't want them to change, or, like, you expect something from me-"

"Byleth, just be yourself," Yuri said. His hand reached across the table for mine. I let him take it. "That's all you have to do. Nothing has to change."

"You won't expect anything new from me?"

Yuri shook his head. "I just want you, Byleth, as you are, because that's who I love. You don't have to change anything." His ears were tinted red and his cheeks flushing pink. Yuri turned away. I was blushing too.

"Th-Thanks." I squeezed his hand, then dropped my head down on the table. "Ahh, it's not fair. It's like you can still read me like a book, but I can't read your mind anymore."

He laughed and squeezed my hand back. "That's not true." Yes, it was. Ever since Yuri was adopted, he only got harder and harder to read. He got better at hiding his emotions, controlling his facial expressions and tone. "Come on. Look at me. Tell me what I'm thinking right now."

I lifted my head and looked at him. Yuri's mouth was closed, lips curving up in a small smile. His eyes were light. I sat up and placed my other hand over his. Then I let out a breath. "I don't know."

"At least _try_ ," Yuri said.

I stared at his face again. I tried to imagine. What would Yuri be thinking about right now? Sitting across from me, waiting for Rose to come home with groceries to cook us dinner… "I'm hungry," I said, because I was.

Yuri grinned. "Spot on."

I drew my hands away. "Oh, please, you don't have to humor me."

"But I am hungry." Yuri stood up and went to the cabinets. I picked up my quill again. "Hm, want some biscuits?"

"No, thanks." I picked up one of my books, opened it where I'd left off, and started reading.

"All right." Yuri sat back down and munched on the biscuits. It was quiet for a few moments. I managed to read a page before Yuri was talking again. "You've heard of the Goddess Tower rumor, right?" He leaned back in his chair, the two front legs lifting off the floor.

"What about it?" My study materials were going to look like decorations at this point. It was hard to study when Yuri kept chatting.

Yuri dropped his chair back down to the floor and leaned an elbow on the table, resting his cheek in his hand. "Are you going to go to the Goddess Tower during the ball?"

"Why would I do that?" I scratched my head and stared at the research paper I was supposed to be writing. "Ugh, Yuri, just help me with this. I know _nothing_ about flying or riding." Yuri stood up and slid into the seat next to mine.

"What is this?"

"A research paper, about different transportation methods to and from battle and in battle. We're supposed to research the pros and cons of both and how to determine which units are better suited for what. How am I supposed to know that?" I threw my hands in the air. "Just let the people pick what they want to ride."

Yuri chuckled. He flipped through the books I'd borrowed from the library. "I remember something like this. Here, try this book." He handed me one with a red cover and gold text.

"I read like a snail." I took the book anyway and opened it to the first page. "Anyway, I thought you weren't the superstitious type. Do you actually believe in the Goddess Tower myth?"

Yuri shrugged. "I suppose it'd be worth trying it out." He smirked. "Shall we try it out? I'm a free man now."

I glanced at Yuri and shifted in my seat. "I don't believe in that stuff, so…"

"Hmm."

"Stop distracting me," I said. I hadn't read a single word.

Yuri leaned towards me then kissed me on the cheek. "Okay." He picked up his novel again and opened it. I watched him for a second. His eyes darted across the page. I turned back to my own book. I wished I could read as fast as him.

Rose returned an hour later with a large box in her arms. Yuri rushed to help her with the groceries. I cleared the dining table of my books. I was almost done with my paper.

"I got some fresh rabbit!" Rose grinned at me. "Let's eat it for dinner tonight. It'll be delicious!" Rose hummed to herself as she began cooking.

* * *

For the White Heron Cup, Professor Manuela asked for volunteers to enter the competition. Everyone was quiet. I glanced around. I definitely did _not_ want to be picked. Surely, someone wanted to dance in our class, right?

"No volunteers?" Manuela scanned the room. "Hm, should we just do a lottery system then?"

I nudged Annette with my elbow. "Hey, I think you'd do a great job, Annette," I whispered. Annette looked at me with wide eyes and shook her head.

"No way! You know I'm super clumsy. I'll probably just trip over myself." Annette frowned. Okay, she was right. I glanced at Mercedes next and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Hmm, I don't know much about dancing," Mercedes said.

"I'll put everyone's names in this box and draw someone," Manuela said, writing on small strips of paper.

"Ashe! Sylvain." I called the two boys sitting in front of us. Ashe glanced back. "I think you'd both do a great job."

Ashe blushed. "Wh-What?"

Sylvain smiled and pushed his bangs up. "You're not wrong, Byleth. Want to dance with me?"

Ingrid sighed, then raised her hand. "Professor, I'll do it."

Manuela looked up and smiled. "Great! Thanks, Ingrid." She shoved the scrap pieces of paper to the side. "Then, let's get started with class."

Phew. "Thanks, Ingrid!" I whispered towards her. Annette was nodding beside me. Ingrid smiled at me.

"This is going to be so much fun," Annette said with a giggle. She and Mercedes exchanged looks. I wasn't sure what that meant, but as long as I wasn't at risk of ending up in the competition, then everything was fine.

The ball was on the second to last Saturday of the month. It was set to start in the early evening. There'd be food, after the competition, and the great hall was cleared of its tables to create a ballroom.

I was walking to the great hall when Mercedes ran over to me. "There you are, Bylie! We've been looking for you." She took my arm.

"What? Why? Who?"

Mercedes smiled, while turning me away from the great hall and back towards the dorms. "Annette, Ingrid, and me. Come on. You wouldn't want to show up to the ball like that right?"

Like what? I was just wearing my school uniform, the simple skirt reaching my knees. "But I thought we didn't have to dress up," I said. Mercedes was wearing her school uniform too. We were in front of Annette's room now. Mercedes knocked then opened the door.

Ingrid and Annette were sitting across from each other. Ingrid's eyes were closed while Annette applied eyeshadow. I stepped backwards, but Mercedes had closed the door.

"Umm," I said, biting my bottom lip. Mercedes led me to Annette's bed and we sat down. Mercedes released my arm to grab some makeup supplies that were on Annette's bed. I shook my head, holding my arms up. "No, no, thanks."

"It'll just be a little bit," Annette said. Her eyes were sparkling. I looked at Ingrid. Her cheeks were pink, her eyelashes darker.

"That, uh, doesn't look like a little bit," I said.

Ingrid's eyes flashed open. "Annette! You said it was only a little."

"It _is_ ," Annette said, smiling. "I'm almost done." She tilted Ingrid's chin up. "Besides, you're our class's representative. A little bit extra just might help you win."

"It's a dance competition, Annette, not a… makeup competition," Ingrid said.

Mercedes giggled. She was holding a tiny brush in her hands. "So, Byleth? Can I put some makeup on you?"

I wiggled in my seat. "Umm." Rose had put makeup on me once. For my first date, when I was fifteen or so. "I don't know."

"It's just for fun," Annette said. "You're already gorgeous, Byleth. Imagine if you had makeup on! You'd be, like, ten times more pretty."

Well… I suppose it was just this once. "Okay," I said. "But just a little bit." Mercedes beamed. Annette flashed her a thumbs up and a grin. That made me a little nervous. "A little bit," I said again.

"Of course," Mercedes said. She leaned forward with the brush. I swallowed. Oh Goddess.

About twenty minutes later, Mercedes leaned back with a smile. "Done!"

Annette looked at me and grinned, clapping her hands together. "Ooh, you look amazing, Bylie!"

Ingrid smiled, too, and passed me a hand mirror. I brought it up to eye-level. My lips were rosy pink, my cheeks a light pink, and my eyelashes dark with mascara and eyeliner. When I took a closer look, I could see sparkly blue eyeshadow.

"Thanks, Mercedes," I said.

"Anytime!" Mercedes grinned.

We walked together to the Great Hall for the White Heron Cup. The other contestants were Lorenz from the Golden Deer and Dorothea from the Black Eagles. Ingrid got one vote, and Dorothea won the other two. The Black Eagles won. I didn't think anyone was too surprised.

Then the orchestra kicked off the music. I was scanning the room, trying to find Byleth. He'd said he would signal me when we should go and dance with the house leaders. There was one problem, which was that I didn't really know how to dance. Not these kinds of fancy noble dances anyway. Byleth was talking with Dorothea. Edelgard and Dimitri were both dancing with other people. I guess it wasn't right now.

"Hey, Byleth." Claude stepped into view, smiling. "Care to dance with me?" He didn't wait for my response, taking my hand and pulling me into the middle of the room.

"W-Wait, I don't know how to dance," I said. He placed my left hand on his shoulder, then wrapped his own hand around my waist.

"Don't worry. It's not that hard," he said. "Just follow my lead."

We stepped forward, to the right, backwards, then to the left.

"If you're not from Fodlan, do you know other dances?" I asked. I tried to find Byleth amongst the crowd, but we were spinning around and around the room. Trying to not trip over my feet or Claude's feet was already taking up most of my attention.

"Yeah, we don't really do these kinds of formal dances," Claude said. "Our parties have a lot more alcohol involved. People end up dancing on tables."

I laughed, and Claude smiled. "That sounds funny."

"See? You've got the hang of it," he said. We followed the slow beat of the music. "And now." Claude pushed my left hand off his shoulder and sent me spinning through the air. My eyes widened. I was getting dizzy from the spinning. When Claude caught my hand again, I gripped his hand with extra strength.

" _Don't_ do that," I said, out of breath. I leaned against him. "My head-ugh."

Claude laughed. "Okay."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm serious."

"I got it," he said. "You look pretty."

"Thanks," I said.

Claude looked at my left hand. "No ring?"

"Huh?"

"You don't wear an engagement ring?" Claude asked, then chuckled. "Nevermind. It's none of my business."

"Oh." I glanced at my hand too. "Um, jewelry's not my thing."

"Fair enough."

When the song ended, he kissed my hand. "Thanks for the dance, Byleth." He winked at me then walked away to dance with someone else.

Someone's shoulder bumped into mine. I glanced over to find Byleth. He nodded at me. Edelgard was standing beside him. I nodded back then searched the room. I had to maneuver around a few people before I reached Dimitri.

"Your Highness," I said, a bit louder than I'd intended. I waved hi to Dedue who was standing behind Dimitri. Dedue nodded back at me.

Dimitri smiled. "Good evening, Byleth."

"Would you like to dance?" I said. I wondered if I was supposed to curtsy or something. "Am I cutting in line?"

"In what line?" Dimitri's mouth opened in confusion. He took my hand, though, and we walked towards the center of the room.

"A line to dance with you," I said. I hoped my palms weren't too sweaty as the music picked up.

Dimitri smiled. "There's no such line like that."

Huh. I would have thought there'd be people clamoring to dance with the three house leaders. They were the future leaders of Fodlan, after all. Not to mention, they were all very good-looking.

Behind Dimitri's shoulder, I could just see the red of Edelgard's cape sweeping in the air. They weren't too far then. It was Byleth's plan, so he'd find a way for this to work. Right?

"Nice makeup," Dimitri said.

"Oh, thanks. Mercedes did it for me," I said. I cleared my throat, trying to think of what to say. "How's your evening going?"

"Good. It's a fun event." There was something about Dimitri's smile that I couldn't place.

"Yeah." I agreed. I was out of conversation topics, and we were maybe half way through the dance. A song is only three or four minutes, right?

"I heard you're joining the Black Eagles for this month's mission," Dimitri said. I nodded. "That sounds like a great opportunity to learn from the Professor."

"Yeah, it'll be nice to be fighting on the same side for once." I chuckled.

Dimitri did too. "Indeed. I don't think I'd want to be on the Professor's bad side either."

"But you're really strong, too, Your Highness. At least you'd stand a chance against him," I said, though the idea of them fighting - really, fighting - wasn't great.

"Maybe," Dimitri said. "I still have a lot to learn."

The song was ending. I searched for Byleth behind Dimitri's shoulders but couldn't see him. Was he behind me? I released Dimitri's hand, taking a step back. Someone tapped my shoulder.

Byleth nodded at me. Edelgard was beside him. Perfect.

"Oh, hi," I said and tried to smile naturally. What happened now? Byleth extended a hand out towards me. I took it. The next song was starting. Edelgard and Dimitri were looking at each other.

"Shall we?" Dimitri said, holding his hand out.

Edelgard placed her hand in his. "I suppose."

That worked? That worked! I grinned at Byleth as we danced away from the two house leaders. "Crazy," I said. "That actually worked."

Byleth smiled. "I wasn't sure, either."

"Really? But I thought you, you know, know a lot of stuff."

He shook his head. "Not this."

Interesting. Dancing with Claude and Dimitri had been smooth and simple. If I stumbled, they'd support my weight for a few seconds while I regained my balance. But dancing with Byleth was different. He was slow, and he kept glancing down at his feet. We tripped together a few times, flailing a bit before finding our balance again.

"You haven't danced before either, have you?" I asked. Byleth shook his head. "No wonder." I laughed, then stopped when I realized that I wasn't any better than him. "I haven't either."

Byleth smiled.

The third song ended. Dimitri and Edelgard were still talking to each other. I went to find Annette and Mercedes. Sylvain and Felix were dancing together. Felix was blushing, while Sylvain had the biggest grin on his face. Ingrid and Dorothea were chatting.

I recruited Annette and Mercedes to get food with me. We went to the cafeteria, where platters of food were laid across the tables. I stocked my plate up with roasted fish, mashed potatoes, grilled vegetables, and pasta. We sat down to eat and talk.

"Should we go check out the Goddess Tower later?" Annette asked with a smile.

"Are we going to make a promise?" Mercedes giggled.

"A promise to be friends." Annette grinned. "We can get Ingrid and everyone else too."

"That might get crowded," I said. I laughed with Mercedes when I imagined everyone packed in a tower that was supposed to be a romantic place. We'd be ruining the mood for all the couples.

"Then we'll just go ourselves," Annette said.

"That's okay," I said. "I'm good. You two can go."

Annette glanced at Mercedes. "Should we?"

Mercedes shrugged, still giggling. "I don't mind."

After we returned our dishes, we walked back to the great hall. I was stuffed full, much too full to dance. I sat down on a bench near the wall to watch everyone else dance. Caspar and Hilda were laughing together. Bernadetta was sitting on the bench beside mine, eating a slice of cake. She caught me staring at her and shrunk even more into herself. Byleth was dancing with Petra. Edelgard, Lysithea, and Lindhardt were talking on the other side of the room.

Felix and Ingrid, Sylvain and Leonie, Ferdinand and Dorothea were all dancing. I stretched my arms over my head. The room was warm, and I was getting sleepy. Maybe now would be a good time to sneak off to Abyss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! :)


	13. More Dancing, and the Monthly Mission

Yuri was in the classroom. Balthus and Constance were dancing together, even though they couldn’t hear the music from the surface. Hapi was eating a pastry while humming a song for them.

“Byleth!” Constance grinned when she saw me. “Come dance with us.”

Yuri stood up. I’d brought a plate of cake slices with me and set it down on the nearby desk. 

“Ooh, cake,” Hapi said.

“I thought you guys might want some,” I said. “I only brought one fork, though.”

“No worries.” Hapi picked a slice up and ate it like a piece of meat pie. “Mmm. This is  _ so _ good.”

Balthus and Constance stopped dancing to eat some cake. Constance took the fork, while Balthus and Yuri joined Hapi in picking the slice up. I sat down in a chair near Hapi, covering my mouth as I yawned. It was getting late.

“How was the ball?” Constance asked me. “Did you dance with anyone handsome?” I nodded, which caused Constance to gasp and tap Hapi’s arm. “Oh, do tell us, with whom did you dance with?” Constance said.

Hapi shrugged Constance’s hand off her arm.

“Just my classmates,” I said. “And other classmates. And my brother.” I could tell that Yuri was staring at me. I shifted in my seat.

“So, like, everyone?” Hapi said.

“No, only like three,” I said, blushing.

“Do you think there will be more cake left over?” Hapi stood up. “I’m going to go steal some. You wanna come with, Constance?”

Constance was still eating her slice. “I need tea with this cake. I’m going to brew myself a cup.”

“I’ll go with you, Hapi,” Balthus said, flexing his bicep. “I bet they’ve got some good meat, too.”

“Sweet, come on, let’s go.” Hapi and Balthus left the classroom. 

“I’ll return the plate, Byleth,” Constance told me, leaving the classroom too with the plate and fork in her hands.

“Mm, that was good,” Yuri said, licking his lips. “Sweet.”

I smiled. “Didn’t you want to go to the Goddess Tower, Yuri?”

“Really?” His eyes lit up. “You want to go with me? Wait.” He darted out of the classroom. I did wait, leaning back in the chair. Yuri was back a few minutes later. “I had to get the frosting off my hands first.”

I stood up. “Okay, let’s go then.”

We took the tunnels up to the surface. We passed the Great Hall on our way to the Goddess Tower. We could hear music and voices and dancing footsteps. Yuri paused at the entranceway.

I tapped his shoulder. “Do you want to dance?”

Yuri glanced at me. “Do you?”

I wasn’t sure, but it looked like Yuri did. “If you do.”

Yuri smirked, taking my hand and pulling me into the Great Hall. “See? You  _ can  _ still read my mind.”

We danced our way towards the middle of the room.

“I see you’ve got some practice in.” Yuri’s smile was so wide that I couldn’t help smiling back. Even though I was sure people were watching us and wondering about who Yuri was.

“Yeah, it’s not too bad,” I said.

“Nice makeup,” Yuri said. “You look beautiful.”

I blushed. “Thanks. Mercedes did it,” I said. The lipstick had faded since eating dinner. “It’s probably going to take an hour to get it all off.”

“It looks nice.” Yuri smiled. “Quite the feat, getting to apply makeup on you.”

“Well, Annette and Mercedes are both quite persuasive. They even got Ingrid.” I smiled.

“Ingrid?”

“She’s my classmate.” I found her across the room. “Over there, dancing with Dimitri.”

Yuri spun us around so he could get a look. “Ohh. She’s Galatea’s daughter.”

“Yeah, you’ve heard of her?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

The song was ending, the long notes fading. There were fewer people dancing, now. I tried to find the clock on the wall to see what time it was. “One more?” Yuri asked.

“All right.”

“So who did you dance with?”

“You want to know?”

Yuri shrugged. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“Dimitri, Claude, and Byleth,” I said.

He raised his eyebrows. “Huh, I thought there’d be more.”

I shook my head. “Not my thing. Dancing.”

“Really?” Yuri’s lips curled up in a smirk. “Have you tried spinning?”

“That’s even  _ less _ my thing.” My eyes narrowed.

“A gentle spin.” Yuri took my left hand off his shoulder and pushed me away.

“Yuri!” I spun around once before finding myself in Yuri’s arms again. I gripped Yuri’s shoulder. “Okay, not that bad, but still don’t like it,” I said.

Yuri laughed.

When the song ended, I decided to get a drink of water before we headed for the Goddess Tower. “Do you want another slice of cake?” I asked him.

Yuri shook his head. “I’m going to say hi to some people.”

I nodded and left him at the Great Hall. There were still a few people at the cafeteria, eating cake or cookies for dessert. I grabbed a glass of water and chugged it down. I washed the cup and returned it, before heading back to the Great Hall. There was maybe an hour or two left before Seteth would shut the ball down.

Yuri was dancing with Hilda, her pink hair swaying in the air. I watched them, smiling at each other. A flash of jealousy hit me. They looked good together. My stomach twisted. What if Hilda liked Yuri? No, no. I pushed the feeling aside. I was being petty.

Someone stepped beside me. “Hey, Byleth.”

“Hey, Edelgard,” I said. I lifted a finger up, remembering. “Um, do you have a title you go by?”

Edelgard smiled. “No, Edelgard is just fine. Would you care to dance with me?” Dance with Edelgard? Well, Yuri was a bit busy right now.

I cleared my throat. “Um, okay.”

I took Edelgard’s hand and let her lead the dance. Wow, getting to dance with all three of the house leaders. Were they really not as popular as I’d thought?

“You know, after we graduate, you could join me in the Empire,” Edelgard said.

What was with the house leaders and trying to recruit people? I opened then closed my mouth, before saying, “Thank you. That’s very kind of you.”

“You’re strong and smart. I’d love to work with you,” Edelgard said.

Me? Had Edelgard looked in a mirror recently? “But, you’re super smart and strong,” I said. “I heard from Byleth that you’re top of his class.”

Edelgard chuckled. “Is that so? That doesn’t mean I don’t need reliable allies. The Empire is full of corrupt nobles. I’ll need people to take their positions.”

“I’ve already promised His Highness Dimitri,” I said.

“I’m not surprised.” Edelgard smiled. “Dimitri has an eye for talent, too.” I really wasn’t sure what sort of talent she meant. Wasn’t everyone at this academy smart and strong? So why me? Though, most of the Black Eagles would probably end up working for Edelgard in the future. But to be recruiting outside of her class?

The song ended, and Edelgard released my hand. “Thank you, Byleth. I had fun. Have a good night.”

“Me too. Thanks, Edelgard.” I smiled. She walked off to talk to someone else, while Yuri stepped into view.

“Someone’s popular.” Yuri was smirking.

“Come on, let’s go,” I said.

We left the Great Hall and headed for the Goddess Tower. We had to climb the stairs up to it. There were a few pairs of people standing around. I leaned against the banister, gazing out at the monastery below us, the forests beyond, and the little town even further away. Lights twinkled below, from torches and lanterns.

“Wow,” I said. The sky was sparkling with stars. The moon was a sliver of light, with a few clouds drifting past it. “The view is amazing.”

“Yeah.” Yuri rested his arms on the stone.

“Have you been here before? Last year?”

Yuri nodded. “Yeah, but it was a cloudy day. We couldn’t see the stars.” We? Had he been here with someone else? Again, jealousy clenched its fist around my heart. Who was it? A pretty girl? A cute boy?

Yuri looked up at the sky. There was a light in his eyes that I hadn’t seen in years, but it was slowly coming back now. I took Yuri’s hand. Whatever. It didn’t matter who. He was here with me now. “Let’s make a promise.”

He raised our linked hands up and kissed my hand. “To stay together, forever.”

“Partners.” I squeezed his hand. My heart was filling up with warmth and love and fondness. I smiled. “I love you.”

Yuri blushed. “I love you too, Byleth.”

“But don’t expect me to say that on the regular.” I looked away, cheeks burning. Yuri laughed and pulled me into a hug.

“Don’t worry. Like I said, just be yourself. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

I wrapped my arms around Yuri. It scared me, a little, how much Yuri could embrace and accept every part of me. I was scared that I couldn’t do the same for him. Did I really know him as well as I thought I did? It was like trying to find the deepest part of the ocean. How do you know if you’ve reached that point? You don’t, until you’re proven false and find somewhere in the ocean that’s even deeper down than you’d ever been before.

This high up and this late, the wind was a bit chilly. When a breeze blew by, I shivered. Yuri’s arms tightened around me.

“What do you think I’m thinking right now?” he asked.

“You’re cold?” I said, because I was a little cold.

“On the contrary.” Yuri snuggled his head closer to mine. “You’re warm.”

* * *

I met up with Byleth the day before the month’s mission. He was pacing back and forth in his small bedroom while I sat at the desk chair. Byleth stopped moving and stood in front of me.

“I need you to watch my father’s back.”

“Jeralt? He’s coming with us?”

Byleth nodded. He turned and walked to the end of the room, where the door to the bathroom was. Then he spun around, walked back to his bed, and looked at me again. “His back, specifically. Someone’s going to stab him with a knife.”

“Who?” I narrowed my eyes.

Byleth sat down on his bed, resting his elbows on his knees. He stared at the wooden flooring.

“You know, don’t you?” I asked.

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “How much to tell you.”

I leaned forward and lowered my voice. “Who is it? I won’t tell anyone.”

“I know you won’t,” Byleth said, glancing up at me. “But…” He turned away. “I don’t know what will happen.”

I bit my lip. If someone was going to try to stab Jeralt, and Byleth wanted me to try to prevent that, would I end up getting stabbed instead? Would it be like with Professor Manuela and the Death Knight?

Byleth took in a deep breath of air. “It’s Monica.”

“The red-haired girl you found with Flayn?”

Byleth nodded. “After the mission completes, she’ll walk up to my father with a question. Then, she’ll walk around him from his right side and stab him in the back. I can’t…” He let out his breath. “I can’t interfere, not by myself.”

“So, you want me to try to protect him,” I said. Byleth nodded. “Okay. I’ll do what I can.”

“Just, don’t die,” Byleth said, sitting up straight. “It’s fine, if my father ends up dying, then it’s just fate.”

“How can you say that? If you know this is going to happen, don’t you think that’s a sign from the Goddess for you to change things?” I frowned.

Byleth shook his head. “No. Just, don’t die, okay?”

“Okay.” I nodded and rubbed my left arm, looking away. “I wasn’t planning to.”

A small smile appeared on Byleth’s face for a second. “Good. Thanks, Byleth.” He stood up, so I did too. It was getting late. He opened the door. “See you tomorrow.”

As Byleth had predicted, our mission was to save some students in an old church from monsters that’d appeared. While Petra flew towards the far left corner to save a student, and Ferdinand raced after, Byleth had Jeralt and I fight the middle monster with Hubert. The monsters weren’t too difficult to take down, not after I’d fought Aelfric’s monster form. I dodged a few attacks, led a few gambits, and soon it was defeated. We moved forward to regroup with the others.

My stomach was tossing and turning as I watched the monsters fall one after the other. It meant we were nearing when Monica would try to stab Jeralt. I didn’t see her among the students, and she stuck out with her blood-red hair.

Ferdinand dealt the finishing blow for the last monster. The students we saved met up with us, while Jeralt dismounted from his horse. I stuck by his side, a hand on my sword, eyes darting left and right. Where was she?

The students gathered around Byleth. He was talking to Edelgard when Monica hopped over to talk to Jeralt.

“Wow, you were really cool, Mr. Eisner,” Monica was saying.

“Thanks, now head on over to where the professor is,” Jeralt said. I was a step or so behind Jeralt, to his left, waiting.

“Yes, Sir!” Monica said. I watched her feet tiptoe around Jeralt from his right side. Then I saw the gleam of the blade. My dagger met hers with a loud clank.

“What?” Monica’s eyes widened. Her lips were as red as her hair. Byleth was running over, drawing his sword, when someone warped between Monica and Byleth. A tall man with white hair and white skin. He blocked Byleth’s sword.

Monica took my momentary distraction to swing at Jeralt again. 

“No!” I threw my left hand out. I knew I should have dual-wielded daggers. The knife cut into my hand. My hand burned. I dropped to the ground and stabbed my dagger into Monica’s foot. She screamed and leaped away.

“Get the hell away from my daughter!” Jeralt was yelling. I could see the shadow of his lance on the ground near me.

My hand was bleeding. My vision reddened then filled with dark spots.

“You can’t die here yet,” an unfamiliar voice said. Monica was laughing. A shrill cackle that grated my ears. There was a whoosh, and when I looked up, Monica and the strange man had disappeared. Warped away. Byleth and Jeralt both rushed to me.

“You okay?” Byleth asked. I was just trying to breathe. “Lindhardt! Come here.”

“I’m going to pull the knife out,” Jeralt said.

“Oh Goddess.” I was sweating from the pain. Like someone was twisting the insides of my hand, like a fire was blazing within.

Jeralt gripped the knife handle. The blade had gone through me. I could see blood dripping off of it. Lindhardt knelt down beside me and was healing me.

“Oh Goddess.” I grabbed Byleth’s hand and squeezed. “Don’t count down. Just yank. Anytime.”

“Got it.” Jeralt nodded, then he pulled the knife out. I gasped, more pain filling my senses. Then everything turned black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	14. Sleeping (Part 2)

Yuri heard the news from one of his people: Byleth being carried to the infirmary. Again. Getting some injuries during a monthly mission wasn’t unusual, but being unconscious? Yuri rushed out of Abyss towards the infirmary.

Professor Byleth was sitting on a stool beside Byleth, who was asleep. Professor Manuela was at her desk, which was littered with empty containers and papers. Manuela glanced at Yuri when he stepped in, but Yuri just walked up to Byleth.

“What happened?” Yuri asked.

“She’s been poisoned,” Manuela said. She shook her head. “None of the antidotes are working. I’ve frozen her arm, for now, to contain the poison there.”

Byleth’s hand was bandaged up, and there were traces of purple lines running like veins across her left arm.

“How did that happen?” Yuri looked at the professor, but Byleth wouldn’t move his eyes away from his sister.

“I’ll leave you two alone.” Manuela said. She grabbed some papers scattered on her desk and walked out of the room. Yuri folded his arms across his chest and sat down on the bed next to Byleth’s.

The room was quiet, while Yuri waited for Byleth to speak.

“Monica tried to kill our father,” Byleth said. “Byleth stopped her and got injured.”

“With a poisoned blade?”

Byleth nodded. “They’re the same people who were conducting experiments on the people of Remire Village.”

“Is she going to live?” Yuri’s voice shook, for just a second. He didn’t want to consider the possibility of losing Byleth. Not now.

“We’ll find an antidote,” the Professor said.

“If you need any help with that, you can count me in.”

Byleth nodded and looked at Yuri for the first time today. “Thank you.”

The two continued to sit there, staring at Byleth’s sleeping form, until Professor Manuela returned.

“I’ll keep watch over her, you two,” Manuela said. “You’re looking like hawks right now. Professor, Lady Rhea wants to see you.”

Byleth stood up and nodded, but Yuri wouldn’t move.

“Can I stay here?” Yuri asked Manuela.

“There’s a night nurse on duty, but if you want,” Manuela said. “Feel free to use the other beds.”

“Thank you,” Byleth said to Manuela before he left the room. Manuela sat down at her desk and scribbled things. Yuri should have brought a book. He’d have to go back to Abyss anyway, to tell Rose and the Ashen Wolves. 

Yuri stood up. “I’ll be back.”

“Of course.” Manuela smiled. “Don’t worry about Byleth, Yuri. I’ll keep her healed.”

“Thanks.” Yuri mustered up a smile back.

Yuri returned, later in the evening, after eating dinner. He brought a book with him. Manuela had been replaced with a night nurse, who sat at the desk. The nurse looked at Yuri and smiled.

Yuri sat on the stool by Byleth’s bed and read until he fell asleep.

* * *

The room was dark. I was in the infirmary. I could tell by the smell of cleaning alcohol and the darker wooden ceiling planks. Yuri was sitting to my right, his face on the mattress, a book half opened beside him.

I tried to push myself up into a sitting position but my left arm wouldn’t move. I looked at my arm, tried to wiggle my fingers. They didn’t budge. My right arm was fine. I poked my left arm. Nothing. I couldn’t feel anything.

A strange whimper came from me.

“Y-Yuri?” I reached for his hand. He shifted. “Yuri.” I wrapped my fingers around his hand. He hummed and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Byleth! You’re awake.” He smiled.

“Yuri, I can’t feel my arm.” I grasped at his shirt, felt the soft material under my fingers. Yuri caught my right hand. “I can’t move it.”

“It’s okay. Professor Manuela froze it to keep the poison from spreading,” Yuri said. He squeezed my hand.

I looked at my left arm again. Under the faint moonlight, I could see dark lines racing up and down my skin. Poison... Ah, the knife had been poisoned. 

“Am I going to die?” I asked. Yuri moved to sit on the mattress beside me. I pushed myself to a sitting position with my right arm. Yuri’s hand hovered behind my back.

“No, you can’t,” Yuri said. He pulled me into a hug. “You can’t die on me.”

I chuckled. “Wasn’t planning to.”

“Your brother’s going to find an antidote, so don’t worry. Just focus on resting.”

I was trembling. What if Byleth couldn’t find an antidote? Would they chop my arm off? Would it spread to the rest of my body and kill me? I wrapped my right arm around Yuri. “Yuri, I can’t hug you.”

“You’re hugging me.” He pressed me closer. “Don’t worry.”

I nodded and swallowed. I swung my legs off the bed and stood up. “Bathroom,” I told Yuri. I held on to my left arm while I walked. It was strange, how limp it was.

When I returned, Yuri was lying on the bed. “Are you hungry?” He passed me a glass of water, and I drank it. 

“No,” I said. “Just tired.” When I was done, he set the glass down on the bedside table, where his book was. I lay down next to him. There wasn’t a lot of room for the two of us. 

“You should go back to Abyss to sleep,” I said. “Not here.”

“No.” Yuri threw his arm over me and snuggled close. “I’ll feel better here.”

“Okay.” I leaned my head towards his and closed my eyes. It was warmer with him beside me, and I could feel his arm against mine. Yuri tugged the blanket over us, and soon I was drifting back to sleep.

I returned to classes the next day, but my left arm was still frozen with a mix of magic and medicine. Professor Manuela kept healing my arm. She asked that I stay in the infirmary until Byleth found an antidote, in case my condition worsened. The healing didn’t seem to do anything. The purple lines criss crossing my arm only got darker. 

My classmates swarmed me when I entered the classroom in the morning. They must have heard what’d happened.

“I’m okay, really,” I said with a smile.

“Isn’t your arm poisoned though?” Ashe’s eyebrows were creased with worry. 

“The Professor will find a cure for me,” I said, trying to sound assured. Mercedes and Dimitri were both inspecting my arm.

Professor Manuela had walked to the classroom with me, and she tapped on the chalkboard. “Settle down, class,” she said. Everyone moved towards their seats. “Byleth will be fine. Now let’s begin.”

I ate lunch with my classmates, as usual. Except, when we rounded a corner to head to the cafeteria, there was a loud thwack. I looked around. Mercedes and Annette also looked towards me.

“Byleth, your hand,” Annette said, pointing at my left arm. I looked at my arm, dangling by my side. My knuckles were bleeding. I must have hit my arm against the wall.

“Oh,” I said. I hadn’t felt a thing. It was weird. I didn’t like that. I grabbed my arm and cradled it in my right arm, like a doll. “It’s okay.” I shrugged.

Mercedes healed my hand, and the bloody scraped skin disappeared.

“Thanks,” I said.

After classes ended, Professor Manuela told me that she’d give me a three day extension on all assignments until my arm was healed. That was very nice of her. Rose and Jeralt both stopped by to see me, so we ended up eating dinner together. Rose told me that Yuri was back in Abyss.

After dinner, I found Byleth waiting for me at the infirmary.

“Hello,” I said to him with a small wave.

He nodded. “Hello.” He followed me into the infirmary. “Edelgard has a lead on a place where we might find an antidote. We’ll be going on Saturday.”

“Count me in.” It was Yuri. He entered behind us.

Byleth nodded, then looked at me. “We’ll find one. Just wait.”

“Okay,” I said. If anyone could, it’d be Edelgard and Byleth.

Yuri insisted on staying in the infirmary with me, even though there was a night nurse who made hourly rounds. He took the bed beside mine for the night. In a way, it was nice, being in the same room for him. It’d been years since we consistently stayed together in one place.

That night, I dreamt of Solon. We were in a plain, white room. I was sleeping, but I could see Solon. He was walking around me, staring at me, laughing and muttering to himself. I tried to move but I couldn’t. I tried to listen to him but I couldn’t. His voice was just noise.

He paused and leaned closer towards me, mouth moving, then he continued walking. He must have circled around me at least three times before he finally said something that I could understand.

“Yes, how fascinating,” he said.

I woke up, sweating and nervous. I squeezed the blanket in my fist and looked to my right, where Yuri was sleeping. It was just a dream. I rolled onto my side to watch Yuri, watched his chest rise and fall with each breath. I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.

Professor Manuela wouldn’t let me participate in training, even though my right arm was fine. I used training hours to work on my assignments. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to use the three day extensions.

On Saturday, I sat in the infirmary reading my textbook, waiting for Professor Manuela to do her daily checkup on me. The purple in my veins looked lighter today, fainter and thinner. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

I held the book open in my right hand, setting it down in my lap to flip a page. There was a whoosh and when I looked up, I saw Solon standing in front of me.

No way.

I reached for my sword and tried to shake it out of its sheath. A blade appeared at my neck. A girl I hadn’t seen before stood to my left, pointing a dagger at me. She had strange orange hair and ridiculous makeup. Solon just laughed and stepped towards me.

“You’re healing,” he said. The sheath fell to the floor with a clatter. I wondered if I should scream.

“Drop your sword,” the girl said. She glared at me. I stared at her. Her knife pressed into my neck, but not the sharp side. I dropped my sword. It hit the floor with another loud clang. Surely a knight would hear that, right?

Solon was walking around the bed, towards me, while talking, “Isn’t that incredible? Somehow, your body is defeating the poison.”

“What do you want?” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I want to study you,” Solon said with a grin. He reached his hand towards me and grabbed my shirt. I grabbed his arm, but then the bed and the floor and the room were morphing away from me.

I screamed. Everything was dark.

I clawed at the arms on me. My teeth chomped onto his hand, but Solon’s grip on my shirt only tightened. Then my feet hit the ground again, and Solon shoved me. My head slammed into something hard.

Everything hurt.

When I came to, I was tied to a bed. Only my left arm was free, but I still couldn’t move it. Solon was standing in front of me, leering at me. This had to be a nightmare, right?

“You’re healing.” Solon lifted my left arm up. I still couldn’t feel anything. “Look.” I did. The purple lines were gone. Solon dropped my arm. He rubbed his hands together. “That poison was just a prototype. I wonder… could you handle my second version of it?”

I shuddered. We were in a room, no windows, a wooden table to my right. The door was to my right too. But what was beyond that? They’d warped me here, wherever  _ here _ was. Who would ever find me here?

Solon walked off. There was another table across the room from me, covered in vials, bottles, needles, papers and books. He picked a needle up. I closed my eyes. Oh Goddess. I was going to die here, wasn’t I? Just poison me and get it over with, then.

While Solon tinkered with his bottles, I strained against the restraints. They were made of fabric, but they were tight.

“Don’t make me numb the rest of your body,” Solon said, turning around. He was holding a needle, filled with a dark green liquid. He stepped to my left side. “Let’s see if you can heal from this one.” And for once, I was glad I couldn’t feel anything in my left arm.

* * *

They didn’t find an antidote. They killed some people, people conducting strange experiments, but there was no antidote. Yuri, Byleth, and all the students scoured the building. They took some suspicious looking vials with them. Byleth and Yuri brought them to the infirmary.

“Professor Manuela,” Byleth said, dropping the bottles on her desk. “Do any of these look like antidotes to you?”

“You’re back. We don’t need an antidote though.” Manuela was leaning over Byleth. “She’s all healed up.”

Yuri was standing by Byleth’s bed. The lines on her arm were gone. The scar on her hand too. Byleth’s book was on the bedside table, and her sword sheathed beside her on the bed.

“What?” Professor Byleth stepped closer to take a look.

Byleth was grinning. “Yeah, all healed up. Thanks to Professor Manuela.” She stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back on her arms. “Can I leave now?”

“Yes.” Manuela nodded.

Byleth stood up in front of Yuri. She smiled at him. “So, where’s my father?” Both Professor Byleth and Yuri froze. Byleth had  _ never _ called Jeralt her father before.

“Professor, did you hit her in the head?” Yuri asked Manuela, with a faint hope. 

Manuela frowned and shook her head. “No, why would I do that?”

“What’s wrong?” Byleth glanced between Yuri and the Professor.

“Byleth, who am I?” Yuri pointed at himself.

“Yuri, my fiancee,” Byleth said. No, no, something was definitely wrong. Yuri shook his head and took a step back. Byleth wouldn’t call him her fiancee. He was her best friend. Byleth leaned closer towards Yuri and puckered her lips. “What, want a kiss?”

Yuri pushed her back. This couldn’t be Byleth. He cleared his throat to calm himself down. “What’s the mockingbird’s real name?” Yuri said.

“What do you mean?” Byleth crossed her arms.

Yuri looked at the Professor and Manuela. “Either she’s lost her personality and her memories, or she’s not Byleth.”

“Kronya,” the Professor said. 

Byleth twitched and said, almost hissing, “What about her?”

“Who’s that?” Manuela asked.

Yuri grabbed Byleth’s arm. “So you’re not Byleth.”

“Let go of me!” Byleth yanked her arm out of his grip. “You’re ridiculous.”

Yuri and the Professor both drew out their swords, but Yuri couldn’t bring himself to point it at Byleth. The Professor did, though.

“Surrender,” Professor Byleth said. “You’re outnumbered.”

“Why should I? I’m Byleth. Is this how you treat your sister?” Byleth said.

“You’re clearly an imposter,” Yuri said. “We can see right through you. You’re a terrible actor, and you make a terrible Byleth.”

She growled.

Footsteps came and knights entered the room, following Manuela. 

“They’re saying she’s an imposter,” Manuela told the Knights.

“Unbelievable,” Byleth said. She pushed past the Professor and Yuri and let the knights escort her out. It wasn’t until Byleth was gone that Yuri realized something. If that  _ was _ a fake Byleth, then where was the real one? It was sinking in for the Professor too. The two of them stood in the infirmary, staring at the vacant bed for a few seconds. Professor Manuela had left with the knights.

“Do you know where she might be?” Yuri asked Byleth, after a stretch of silence.

Byleth shook his head.

Yuri buried his face in his hands. “Goddess.”

“We’ll find her,” Byleth said.

“That’s what you said about the antidote too,” Yuri said. “What if she’s dead?”

Byleth shook his head. “No, Byleth wouldn’t die so easily.”

Yuri knew that too. Or at least, he wanted to believe that it was true. But the fact was that they had no idea where she’d gone. If these were the same people as Solon, then they could have used warping magic to take her somewhere far away.

“We’ll find her,” Byleth said and turned towards the door. “The house leaders will help.”

He sounded so sure. Yuri dropped down on the nearest bed and sighed, waiting for Byleth’s footsteps to fade. Yuri looked at the book left on the bedside table, then stood up. Moping around wouldn’t help Byleth. If the fake Byleth was working with Solon, then she’d know where the real Byleth was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	15. Screaming and Praying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: torture / experimentation. This chapter is pretty dark, so please skip / skim if you don't feel comfortable. Please take care of yourselves! Thanks for reading. :)

Excruciating pain. I screamed because that was the only thing I could do. I shivered and sweated and shook. It felt like my skin was on fire, like I was melting from the inside. Sometimes, it hurt so much that I passed out. Most of the time, I wasn't conscious. I'd wake up to Solon pouring a vulnerary down my throat.

Sometimes, I could feel healing magic on me, but it didn't feel like healing magic. Healing magic was usually warm, light, and soothing. This kind of healing was cold, almost clinical. I didn't know why.

One day, I heard Solon's voice. "I think I've figured out why you're so resilient against my poisons. You were at that village, weren't you? Oh, what was its name?"

It felt like a thousand needles were under my skin, stabbing my insides. My vision was blurry. I rolled my head to the side. Village?

"It was about ten or so years ago. They called it a plague, but it was a poison I'd made. It looks like the antibodies in your blood have mutated to resist against my other poisons."

Plague… Solon was responsible for that?

"Or is it because of Seiros? But what is she doing here? Hmm… How fascinating," Solon said. "I heard everyone at that village died. I wonder how much you can handle." His laughter sent a chill up my spine.

My vision was clearing up, but the pain wasn't. Solon was leaning over me with a sneer and a needle. Oh Goddess. I closed my eyes, so I wouldn't have to see the needle jabbing into my arm.

It didn't take long for me to fall unconscious again.

* * *

There was one day, when I was conscious, that I saw the strange girl again. Short, wavy orange hair, red eyes, black lips. She was staring at me.

"Oh, you woke up?" She smiled at me. Her voice was shrill. I didn't like it. She walked around where I lay to sit down on a chair nearby. "Tell me, what's the real name of the mockingbird? And why would you know that?"

Real name? My head was still foggy. Of the mockingbird…

"Your fiancee asked me," the girl said, crossing her legs.

Ah, Yuri. That was code for his real name. Yuri wasn't the first of his fake names. Back when we were kids and scammed rich people for a living, he'd adopted all sorts of fake names.

"No idea," I said. My voice was hoarse.

The girl laughed. I didn't get why these people were so amused about everything. "Oh, you're a terrible liar," she said.

Well, that was true.

"Whatever." She crossed her arms and leaned back. "He said I made a terrible Byleth. Well, who wants to be you? You look so _boring._ Ugh, I couldn't even get a kiss from him. You have such a boring fiancee."

Kiss? Boring?

The door opened and closed while Solon walked in. "Kronya, what are you doing here?" he asked. Oh, that was her name. She tried to kiss Yuri? I didn't get what was going on. My head was aching now, and I felt light-headed. If this wasn't hell, then I didn't know what could be.

"I came to see how your experiment is going," Kronya said, standing up. Her outfit was ridiculous. Wasn't she cold like that?

"It's going fine. Now stop disturbing my specimen."

I wanted to vomit. I chose to scream instead. Goddess, get me out of this place.

"Now let's see. If you're awake, you must have recovered," Solon said. He lifted my left arm up, which was _still_ numbed. Dark green lines covered my arm.

"Let me go," I said.

"Just wait." Solon dropped my arm and turned towards his desk. "I won't kill you. I need you to bait out your brother, after all."

Bait out Byleth? Why? For what?

"You can't," I said.

Solon laughed. His back was against me. I writhed against the restraints, but nothing worked. I clamped my teeth on the fabric and pulled. Nothing.

"You have excellent timing. I've finished developing a third version." Solon held a needle up and smiled at me. "Why don't we try it out?"

"No," I said and watched as he injected my left arm with a strange red liquid. My vision flashed red, my head spun, and then everything was dark again.

* * *

The days were blurry. When I was awake, I couldn't tell what time it was. There weren't any signs of sunlight here. Sometimes, I'd wake up and be alone in a dark room. I thought that was most likely night, but then Solon would walk in and I wasn't sure. But maybe he preferred to work at night. I didn't know.

They didn't serve me any food. They kept me alive with magic potions instead. The smell of medicinal herbs made me gag, and my empty stomach would churn. One time, I threw up over the bed. The room reeked for days.

When I did wake up and needed to go to the bathroom, Kronya would go with me. It was hard to walk straight. I was often too light headed, and Kronya would half carry me there. In this state, trying to escape would be too difficult.

I still did though. When we were walking back, I tried to move down the hallway, not towards the door that'd lead me back to hell. Kronya had a firm grip on my shoulder and steered me back to the door. I dropped my knees and fell to the floor, then rolled, away.

"Hey!" Kronya raced after me. I was dizzy. I tried to sit up. I'd reached the end of the hallway. Even if it was just to see what was there…

Another hallway with more dark walls. I tried to get up and run, but the best I could do was crawl. Kronya was catching up to me, so I reached for my boot and pulled a knife out. Kronya tackled me to the floor. I cut her arm, and she screamed. Blood dripped onto the floor.

"Where did you get that?" she shrieked. She was on top of me, wrestling with my arms. I bit her arm, and she screamed again, releasing my wrists. I tried to sit up and stab her again. She glared at me and punched my face.

Ouch. I could taste blood in my mouth.

I swung my knife towards her. Kronya had her hands at my throat now. Oh Goddess. I couldn't breathe. I jammed my knife into her arm. Kronya grabbed my wrist and twisted, until I gasped. The knife fell out of my hands with a clatter.

"You're crazy," she said, releasing my throat. She picked the knife up. "Where did you get this?"

I was still trying to breathe. My neck must be bruised. Kronya hoisted me onto my feet. Her arm was bloody. "You can't escape that easily," Kronya said and hauled me back down the hallway.

"Where am I?" I said. My voice was quiet, and my throat was scratchy. I was about to fight Kronya again when she held the knife at my throat with a glare.

"Don't you dare," Kronya said. She snickered. "Who cares where you are? You won't find it on a map anyway. Imbecile."

I still had another dagger in my other shoe. I reached for my left boot, lifting my foot up. "What are you doing?" Kronya was screaming in my ear. She shoved me against the wall, knocking the air out of my lungs. I sank to the floor, fingers wrapping around the handle of the blade.

I blocked Kronya's blade with my own.

" _Where_ are these coming from?"

I was still too weak, though. Kronya fisted my shirt and lifted me up. I sliced my knife over her right hand. She screamed and dropped the blade. She kneed me in the stomach.

"Oof."

I felt the knife slip out of my hands. No, Goddess! Kronya slammed her arm against my throat. I scratched at her arm.

"You think you can escape?" Kronya snarled at me. I couldn't breathe. My vision was darkening. I woke up again when Kronya tossed me roughly back on the bed. Ouch. My head was ringing. I tried to sit up, but Kronya had tied my hands down already. She moved to my legs next. I kicked at her.

"You're such a pain." Kronya said. I gasped when a sharp pain came from my feet. Kronya had cut my legs. I stopped kicking. She took my shoes off.

"Look at what she did to me!" Kronya said to Solon.

"Stop getting blood everywhere," Solon replied. He was at his desk with his papers and his multi-colored vials. The room itself was musty and smelled of dirt and chemicals. "Go and clean up."

"Ugh." Kronya stomped out of the room.

Goddess, I'd rather be dead than at their mercy.

I couldn't remember when I started praying for it all to end. Everytime, I woke up with dread in my stomach. My whole body ached. My neck was stiff, my arms stung, my legs numb. Whenever I heard the slow, heavy footsteps of Solon, my heart would seize up and pound loudly in my ears. I started trembling whenever I saw Solon approach me with a new needle or bottle. He'd say, "Relax," with that awful grin of his, but that only made me tense up further. I kicked and screamed until my throat hurt and my ankles were bruised.

Sometimes, I'd wake up to the feeling of Solon's healing magic. The sensation grew colder and colder over time, until it was like frost, so icy cold that my skin burned. But the healing potions weren't any better. The smell of vulneraries made me nauseous. There was a constant gnawing pang of hunger in my stomach. I hated every waking moment, praying to fall back asleep.

Then, one day, when I was preparing for Solon to inject his next version of poison, instead he came up to me with a clear liquid.

"Time to go fishing," he said.

"Are you killing me?" I asked.

Solon laughed and shook his head as the needle slid in. "No, I'm returning you."

It only took a few seconds before I fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up, I was lying on the ground. Like, actual ground. Grass and dirt. There was the sky, and the sun, and rocks. Kronya stood in front of me, laughing. She had several cronies and two demonic beasts standing guard in front. Byleth's class was fighting their way over.

Byleth. I could move my limbs. They hadn't tied me up. Were they really planning on letting me go? My left arm still had faint traces of purple, red, and green but I could move it.

I tried to sit up, but my head was foggy. Byleth had split his class into two groups, and they were closing in on Kronya's position from both sides. Kronya was taunting them, saying she was going to kill Byleth, which I didn't really understand. She was going to be outnumbered and surrounded soon enough. And there was no way Kronya could beat Byleth by herself.

"Byleth!" That sounded like Byleth. He'd seen me.

I was on my hands and knees. I needed to warn Byleth that this was a trap, that he was in danger. Solon wasn't here yet, but he'd show up. I knew he would.

I crawled towards my right, in the direction of Byleth. The guards didn't even look my way. I wasn't a threat to them, and they knew that. I needed a weapon. While Byleth's students surrounded Kronya, who was still ridiculing them, Byleth ran towards me.

"You okay?" He knelt down beside me.

"Weapon," I said. He held his hand out. I was sweating and out of breath, but I'd crawled out of Kronya's range. I took his hand and let him pull me up. My vision filled with dark spots. I'd stood up too quickly.

"Stay here," he said. I planted my bare feet into the dirt. They hadn't returned my shoes. No, come back, Byleth. I need a weapon. Byleth's footsteps faded. When my vision cleared, he was fighting Kronya with his Sword of the Creator. Then, Solon appeared.

Ugh, seeing his face, hearing his voice, I was trembling before I knew it. I fell back to my knees and clutched my head. Oh Goddess. Make him go away. Kill him. Strike him down with lightning.

"Professor!" That sounded like Edelgard. When I looked in their direction again, Byleth and Kronya were both gone. Only Solon remained, and he was laughing. I shuddered and stared at the dirt beneath me again.

They were arguing. I drew my knees to my chest curled into a ball. Oh Goddess. Byleth was gone. He was dead. He'd fallen straight into the trap. And it was my fault. And Solon was here. What if he tried to kidnap me again? Oh Goddess.

"Byleth?"

I looked up at the voice. It was Bernadetta. She looked as terrified as I felt.

"A-Are you okay?" she asked. Her eyes narrowed, and her hands formed into fists. On any other person, it'd look like she wanted to fight me. "W-What can I do to help?"

I glanced around the area. I needed a weapon. There was a fallen axe nearby.

"Can you…" I pointed at the axe. "Give me that?"

Bernie nodded, dashed off, and returned with the axe. She handed it to me. I leaned on my knees to stand up.

"Thanks," I said. Edelgard was getting her class regrouped. I limped after Bernadetta to join the group.

Dorothea came up to me first. "Oh goodness, Byleth, you look terrible!" she said. "Let me heal you."

I held a hand up. "Don't!"

Dorothea paused and lowered her hand. "Are you sure? You look like you could-"

Everyone was surrounding me and looking at me. Oh no. I was shaking again. "S-Stop. S-Stay away." I backed away from them.

"Step back, everyone," Edelgard said. They did, but they were still staring at me, like I was an injured bird with a broken wing. I gripped the axe in my hands. Edelgard stepped in front of her classmates. "Byleth, the professor's alive. I know he is. He'll come back."

She was probably right. There was no way Byleth could die that easily. I kept edging away from them. I didn't like the idea of being surrounded by people.

"Do you want to sit down?" Edelgard asked me.

I shook my head.

"We're going to fight Solon," Edelgard said.

"I'm going to kill him," I said. I was. If I killed him, he couldn't kill me. He couldn't hurt me anymore.

"Okay," Edelgard said. "Then fall in line."

The rest of the Black Eagles fell into formation. I had no idea where to stand, so I stayed where I was. Then Solon was gasping.

"No. Impossible!" Solon said.

I looked in his direction. Byleth was back, but his hair was green. His eyes too. Solon had retreated from where Kronya had been. He was up a hill. And he'd brought reinforcements.

Byleth looked at his classmates and nodded. Edelgard was grinning. "Professor, your hair!" she said.

Byleth then gazed at me and stepped closer. I pointed my axe at him. He lifted his arms up and stopped moving closer.

"Do you need healing?" he asked me. I shook my head.

"I'm going to kill him," I said. "Solon."

He held his hand out. "Give me the axe."

I wrapped my hands even tighter around the handle. "I need a weapon to kill him."

Byleth pulled a lance out from who knew where. "This is better." I looked at it then back at Byleth's face. He held the handle of the lance towards me. "You can deal the finishing blow."

I reached my right hand out for the lance. It was a training lance, lighter than the axe. Byleth took the axe out of my hand.

"Stick close," he said. He glanced across his class. "I need someone to stay with Byleth." Everyone exchanged glances with each other.

"No, you don't," I said, glaring at him.

"I-I'll do it," Bernie said, holding her hand up. Byleth nodded.

"Stay close," Byleth said again, then looked at me. "Don't attack until I say so."

He split his class into two groups again. Bernie and I were in Byleth's group. He, Ferdinand, and Dorothea fought off the reinforcements. Bernie fired arrow after arrow. I just used the lance like a walking cane and followed them.

Solon was waiting for us at the top of the hill. When he saw me, he grinned. I tried to stay steady and lifted the lance up.

Byleth and Edelgard attacked Solon first. He fought back with his magic. When his breathing grew ragged, Byleth looked at me and waved me forward. I ran at Solon with the lance in front of me while yelling. The lance pierced through Solon. He coughed up dark blood. I was panting.

Byleth stepped towards me. Solon had crumbled to the ground. I kept trying to shove the lance further through him, just to make sure he really was dead.

"Hey." Byleth tapped my shoulder. I slapped his hand away with glare.

I yanked the lance out and stabbed it in Solon's chest one more time, where his heart should be - if he had one.

"He's dead," Byleth said.

I was breathing hard. "I-I need to make sure," I said.

"Don't worry," Byleth said. "He's dead."

I watched the light fade from Solon's eyes. His face was frozen in a look of horror, mouth open, eyes wide. He deserved it. I was tempted to stab him one more time, but Byleth was tapping my shoulder again.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you back to the monastery."

I looked at him. Was it really over? Every inch of me ached. My arms were covered in cuts and scars. I'd lost a lot of weight. Even if my injuries healed and disappeared, it wouldn't erase what'd happened. No healing magic could ease the pain inside.

Byleth's eyes were warm and gentle. He stood there, patiently waiting. I swallowed, then nodded, and took a step towards him. He handed me a training sword, and I used that as another walking cane.

"How long has it been?" I asked Byleth.

"Three weeks," he said. Three weeks? Only three weeks? It'd felt like months, even years. "We tried looking for you," Byleth said.

"I know."

There was quite a distance between the old church and the monastery. We walked through the forest. I was slow. I kept stopping to catch my breath, leaning against the sword. Byleth, Bernie, and Dorothea waited behind with me.

"Go ahead," I told them, waving forward. "I'll catch up."

Byleth nodded at Bernie and Dorothea. The other students were waiting in front of me. "Tell them to go," I said to Byleth. Byleth went over to his students, said something, and then Ferdinand took off. They probably hated me. I was slowing them down, wasting their time, looking so pathetic and weak.

Byleth returned to my side, while I continued hobbling forward. My legs were sore. I hadn't walked this much in a while.

"You should just knock me out," I said to Byleth. "Then you could carry me. Probably faster."

Byleth shook his head. "It's okay. Take your time."

Dorothea caught up with the others. Bernadetta stayed around, though, twiddling her fingers around. There was a small hill, and above that I could see the walls of the monastery. Byleth's hand kept hovering near my arm, while I trekked up the hill one step at a time. It was sad. I used to fight off tens of bandits by myself without getting too winded. Now I couldn't even crest a hill without taking a break in between.

We'd reached the top when I saw Ferdinand running back towards us. There was someone else behind him. Someone with familiar, light purple hair. I thought my heart was going to stop or burst out of my chest.

Yuri ran right to me. "Byleth!" He was panting even harder than me, resting his hands on his knees. Ferdinand was looking pretty tired too. "Oh, thank goodness, you're okay." Yuri reached a hand towards me, but I shrank away.

"Don't," I said. Yuri paused. Byleth was moving along and nodding for Bernadetta to go with him.

Yuri looked at me. With his back towards the others, he let his emotions take control of his face, for once. His mouth dropped open, his eyebrows knitted together, his eyes watered.

"Yuri," I said and my voice broke. I couldn't explain how I felt. I couldn't meet his gaze. "Just don't heal me." I swallowed then held my hand out.

"Okay," he said. Yuri carefully placed his hand in mine. "You don't want anyone to heal you?"

I nodded and took a step forward, leaning on the sword with my right hand.

"Okay," he said. "I'll make sure no one heals you." He squeezed my hand, and I winced. "Sorry!"

I bit my lip. "It's okay," I said. There was at least one bruise on my hand.

"Goddess, what did they do to you?" Yuri muttered to himself.

The walls of the monastery grew taller and larger the closer we walked. Byleth's students had disappeared, but Byleth and Bernadetta were in view. Byleth kept glancing back at me.

We walked along the wall of the monastery until we saw a gate in front. I was leaning more and more on Yuri and less on the sword. I could tell I was close to fainting. My vision narrowed and darkened, while my breath became quicker and shallower. My limbs grew heavier. I fell towards Yuri and felt his arms catching me. If I was unconscious, I couldn't feel anything. It was better this way.


	16. Healing (Part 1)

I dreamt that I was falling endlessly in darkness. Solon's face loomed over me and he sneered while I fell and fell and fell. When I woke up, I was in my dorm room. There was the wall on my right side and someone to my left. I elbowed them off the bed, and they fell to the floor with a loud oomph.

"Ow!"

I sat up and reached around. A knife. A dagger. Something. But there was only the blanket and pillow.

"Byleth." The voice was Yuri's. He was groaning.

"Yuri?"

"At least you're awake," he said with a mirthless chuckle.

"Oh, sorry! I-I thought-"

He sat up from the floor and looked at me. I could see a smile on his face in the darkness. "It's okay."

I was still in my clothes, the school uniform, the ones that I'd been wearing when Solon took me. The sleeves were tattered, and the clothing stained in dirt and sweat. It was gross. I stood up.

"Do you want food? Water?" Yuri asked.

"I need a bath," I said. Yuri lit a lantern on my desk and held it up, while I rummaged in my dresser for clean clothes.

"I'll go with you."

"No, go back to sleep," I said.

"I can't," Yuri said. He opened the door for me, and we walked to the communal bathroom together. When we arrived, he handed the lantern to me. "I'll wait outside."

"Yuri, I'm fine," I said. I was hugging my clothes to my chest.

"I know." He smiled, but his eyes looked teary. "But I'm not. So, please, just let me worry about you, okay?"

There was a knot in my throat. I nodded, then entered the bath house. I lit a few of the torches on the wall, set the lantern on the floor, and quickly stripped. The furnace that heated the water was full of embers now. It'd take too long to get the fire going, so I splashed myself with cold water. My cuts stung from the water, but it was a refreshing cool. I could feel the dirt and blood and sweat slowly wash off of me.

Yuri was sitting on the ground outside. He stood up when he saw me and took the lantern from my hands. "Feel better?" he asked. I nodded. He stifled a yawn on our way back. When we returned, Yuri closed the door and set the lantern on my desk. "Do you want me to sleep on the floor?"

I shook my head and sat down on the bed. "Just… the wall side."

"Okay." Yuri blew out the little flame and dropped on the bed beside me. It made me feel less claustrophobic, not being pinned between Yuri and the wall. I could roll onto my feet quickly.

Yuri's eyes were closed. I lay on my side and stared at him until he opened one eye to look at me. "What?" he said.

"It's…" I reached my hand towards his face. "It's really you." I touched Yuri's face, felt his warm skin under my fingers.

"Yeah." Yuri placed his hand over mine. "It's me. Your best friend."

I smiled. "Yeah."

"I'm glad you're alive," Yuri said.

"Me too," I said. I drew my hand away but held onto Yuri's hand. Closing my eyes, I scooted closer. Yuri drew the blankets up over us.

"Can I heal you when you're asleep?" he asked.

"No." My hand tightened around his.

"Okay," he said.

I relaxed my grip. "Sorry." I wasn't sure what it'd feel like, someone's healing magic. What if it scalded like Solon's did? It probably wouldn't, but what if? I had to get my act together soon, or Yuri would get sick of me, sick of fussing over me.

"Don't be," Yuri said.

"You know, he… he was responsible. For the plague." I was staring at Yuri's chest, but he was mostly a vague shape in the darkness.

"Did he tell you that?"

I nodded, but Yuri probably couldn't tell. "He said that was why I was resistant." I swallowed thickly. "To his poisons."

Yuri drew in a sharp breath. "He poisoned you?"

I was shaking now. The memories were coming back, the pain, the nausea, the hopelessness.

"Hey," Yuri said. He could probably feel me trembling. He scooted closer, until his forehead bumped into mine. "Hey, it's okay. You're all right now, Byleth. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you. Can I… hug you?"

I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut. Tears threatened to burst out, and there was a tight knot in my throat. Yuri slid his left arm under my neck, then wrapped his arms around me, gently, like I was made of porcelain.

"I-I'm not weak," I said.

"No." He pulled me closer and rubbed my back. "No, you're not."

I placed my arm around Yuri, too, and cried quietly into his shirt, until I fell asleep.

* * *

In the morning, I woke up tangled in Yuri's arms. I lifted my head, and Yuri slid his left arm out from underneath me.

"Is your arm okay?" I asked. It was probably numb. Yuri was shaking his arm around.

"Yeah." He smiled at me, while we sat up. I stretched and stood up. I was thirsty and hungry, and my head felt more clear than it had in three weeks.

I yawned. "I'm going to change."

"Are we getting breakfast together?" Yuri asked, moving towards the door. Food. Real, solid food. I nodded. "I'll wait outside then."

After the door closed softly behind him, I changed out of my pajamas and dug out my spare pair of boots. I spotted my sword, lying against my desk, and picked it up. It hung, like a heavy anchor, on my hip, but it was a familiar, comforting weight. The sun was warm against my face when I left my room. Wow. Sunlight. Yuri held his hand out towards me, so I took it. We walked to the cafeteria.

"What day is it?" I asked.

"Sunday."

The cafeteria smelled of warm spices, butter, and meat. I was hungry, but I had no appetite.

"What do you want?" Yuri pointed at the menu. The breakfast menu consisted of fruit, oats, toast, eggs and jerky.

"I'll just have some fruit," I said.

Yuri raised an eyebrow. He got two servings of fruit, then one serving of everything else. We sat down together, side by side. The cafeteria was mostly empty. It was late in the morning, and they were preparing to serve lunch soon.

"Here, have a bit of everything," Yuri said, cutting the slice of toast in half for me.

"I don't-" I bit my lip and watched as Yuri piled more and more food on my plate. "I'm not…"

"Hungry?" Yuri asked.

"No appetite," I said, quietly.

"Eat what you can," Yuri said. "I'll eat the rest." He dug into the eggs. It smelled delicious, but my stomach churned at the sight. I ate the fruit first: chopped melon and noa fruit. It was light, juicy, and refreshing. More importantly, it was easy to stomach.

"Are you up for dinner with my mother?" Yuri asked as we ate. I nibbled on the toast next. Buttery and crispy, but dry. Yuri pushed a glass of water my way.

"Yeah," I said. Actually, I wasn't sure how much I could eat for dinner, but I wanted to see Rose.

"Let's go get you some new knives after this." Yuri smirked.

I nodded and mustered up a smile. "Okay."

The eggs and jerky were too oily for my stomach. The oats were mushy and bland. In the end, Yuri ate most of the food. We returned our plates, then headed out of Garreg Mach to the small marketplace in front of the gates. Nausea was creeping up from my belly to my throat. I swallowed, trying to keep everything down.

"You okay?" Yuri glanced my way. I was covering my mouth with a hand. I nodded. "You don't look so good."

I could taste breakfast coming back up. Turning away from Yuri, I vomited into the nearest bush. Oh Goddess. Yuri patted my back. Goddess. I threw up until there was nothing left in my stomach.

"Want me to get you some water?"

I knelt down and hugged my knees. Why was Yuri doing this? Why was he here? He had to have better things to do. Why was he…

"Hey, Byleth." Yuri must have knelt down beside me. His voice was near my ear.

Tears stung my eyeballs. I hated myself. I hated how weak I'd become. I couldn't even _eat_.

"Byleth, please, look at me," Yuri said. Why was he pleading with _me_? Shouldn't it be the other way around?

"I'm sorry," I said and looked at him. Tears were blurring my vision.

"Don't be." He held onto my arm. "Come on, let's get up." He pulled me up onto my feet again.

"I'm a _mess_ , Yuri," I was blabbering now. "A terrible mess. I can't eat. I can barely walk. I can't even let people heal me. I'm a mess."

Yuri hugged me. "You're recovering, Byleth. It takes time, but you'll get there. We'll get there, together." He pulled me away, holding me at arms-length to look me in the eye. "Okay?"

"But you have better things to do." Hot tears rolled down my cheeks. "You don't have to babysit me."

"Byleth, you're doing a favor for me," he said and pulled me into a hug again. "I want to take care of you."

I couldn't believe what he was saying. "You're an idiot."

Yuri chuckled. "Well, I'm your idiot."

I buried my face into his chest. I didn't deserve him, or his unwavering kindness and his patience.

"Stop beating yourself up," Yuri said. "We made a promise, remember? We're life partners. If you were in my position, and I was in yours, would you leave me alone?" No. No, of course not. I shook my head. I could never. I'd go and stab Solon ten times extra just to make sure he couldn't hurt Yuri.

"Exactly," Yuri said. He released me again and nodded his head towards the marketplace. "Still want to get some knives?"

I nodded.

We browsed a few merchants' wares. Yuri bought a new sword for himself, while I picked out two daggers. I placed one on my waist and tucked the other in my right boot. Then, we headed back to the monastery. I was out of breath by the time we reached the Great Hall. We paused while I leaned on my knees for a quick break.

"I'm guessing you don't want to go to the infirmary," Yuri said. "But would you let Professor Manuela take a look at you? In your room maybe?"

"Yeah," I said.

"No healing?"

I nodded. We went back to my room. I sat on my bed and rested, while Yuri fetched Professor Manuela.

When they returned, Manuela knelt down in front of me. Yuri was about to leave when I said, "Wait." Yuri glanced back at me. I patted the space beside me. "Stay, please?" Yuri nodded, but instead of sitting next to me, he sat on my bed, with his back against mine. Professor Manuela checked my eyes, my throat, my neck, my hands, and arms.

"Lots of cuts and bruises," Manuela said. I nodded. Manuela looked at my legs next, pushing my pants up. "This…" I looked at what Manuela was staring at. A deep horizontal cut across my leg, above my ankle. The one that Kronya had made.

"It's healing. Good thing it's not infected," Manuela said. She inspected my left arm again. "They… Did they poison you again?"

It was hard to talk. I nodded.

Manuela sighed. "Unbelievable. Oh, if I got my hands on those evil creeps."

"I'm resilient," I said. My voice was shaky. "To the poisons."

"Yes, you are." She nodded. "You're healing on your own. Is there anywhere else?"

I took in a deep breath and then lifted my shirt up. There was a round purple bruise on my stomach, from where Kronya had kneed me.

"It's an old bruise," Manuela said.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"You'll heal and recover on your own just fine, but I can treat your cuts and bandage you up. Is that okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"I also have this cooling salve for bruises." Manuela placed a bottle on my desk from her bag. "It should help with the pain. Do you need any painkillers?"

I shook my head. "I'm okay."

Professor Manuela pulled a different bottle and bandages out. "Don't worry about classes for now," she said, while dabbing at the cuts on my arm with the medicine. I winced from the sting, leaning into Yuri's back. "You can come to class tomorrow, if you're feeling up to it. Just focus on resting, okay? Eat food, drink plenty of water, and move around. You've lost a lot of weight."

Yuri placed his hand on mine. I looked at my skinny wrist, the blue veins visible. "Thanks," I said. I squeezed Yuri's hand. The smell of the medicine… herbal, bitter, and a bit of a floral fragrance. It was like I was in that room again, with Solon-

"Byleth?" Manuela was leaning over me. I was trying to breathe. In and out, in and out, short, quick breaths. "Yuri, she's hyperventilating."

My vision was narrowing again. I could almost hear Solon's voice in my ears.

"Byleth, Byleth." Yuri wrapped his arms around me. I hugged my knees to my chest. "Professor, the medicine."

"Oh." Manuela corked the bottle shut.

"I-" I trembled. Yuri hugged me even tighter.

"You're safe, Byleth," Yuri said. "You're here with me and Professor Manuela." I closed my eyes shut. Yes, yes, I was with Yuri. Solon wasn't here. He couldn't be. He was dead. Yuri smoothed my hair down. My breathing slowed.

There was a quiet thunk. "I'll leave this here, if you do want to clean the cuts later," Manuela said.

I opened my eyes. "Th-Thanks," I said. Manuela had left the bandages on my desk too.

Manuela patted my shoulder with a smile. "Let me know if you need anything. Just watch the cut on your leg, so that it doesn't get infected."

Yuri hadn't let go. I nodded. "Okay."

Professor Manuela closed the door behind her, and I stayed curled up in a ball until her footsteps faded.

I looked at Yuri. "I'm going to take a nap."

"Okay." He kissed my cheek softly, like a gentle brush. Yuri stood up while I lay down, pulling the blanket over me.

"You don't have to stay," I said, drawing my knees towards me.

"Do you want me to?" Yuri sat down on the floor in front of me.

No. Actually, yes. I did. But not if he was going to stare at me while I fell asleep. That sounded demanding, so I shook my head. "No. Go do stuff."

Yuri picked up a book from off my desk and leaned his back against the bed. "I'll wait."

I stared at the back of Yuri's head. There were a thousand things I wanted to talk to him about, like Kronya posing as me and trying to kiss him, and what he'd been doing the past three weeks.

I chose to say what mattered most. "Thanks. For sticking around." I cleared my throat. My heart was racing. "I'll be all right. With you here. I know I'll be fine."

Yuri turned around and touched my hand. He was smiling. "I love you," he said. I froze. He chuckled. "You don't have to say it back. It's just a reminder. In case you forgot."

I nodded, squeezing his hand. The words were stuck in my throat.

"Get some sleep. I'll wake you up before dinner."

"Thanks." I rolled onto my side, my back against Yuri, and closed my eyes, letting the quiet flip of turning pages lull me to sleep.

* * *

True to his word, Yuri woke me up in the late afternoon.

"Let's get going to Abyss," he told me. I slid my sword back into its position on my hip, stretched my back out, and donned my boots.

"I'm ready," I said.

We held hands on our walk there. I had to pause to take a break. It probably took twice as long as usual for us to reach the entrance of Abyss. Rose opened the door to greet us and swept me up into a tight hug. "Oh, Byleth, my dear!" she said.

"Hey Rose." I hugged her back. Rose smelled like warm spices and oil. She pulled us in, and Yuri closed the door. The table was ladened with dishes.

"Sit down. I made all of your favorites," Rose said, still bustling with one last pot on the fire. Yuri and I sat down at the table. "I tried to make them lighter, less oily. Yuri told me you didn't have much of an appetite."

I nodded. There was a fish soup that smelled divine, sauteed vegetables, vegetable pasta salad, and pickled rabbit skewers. Rose joined us across the table. "I also prepared sweet buns." She grinned.

"Rose," I said. "This is… a lot."

Rose laughed. "Eat up! Tell me what you like, and I'll make more of it." She handed me a bowl and the soup ladle.

I scooped the soup in and passed the ladle to Yuri. I took a careful sip. It was savory and warm and flavorful. I gave Rose a thumbs-up. "Mm," I said, and Rose grinned. I felt warm inside. "What have you been up to?" I asked Rose and Yuri, as we ate. I tried a bit of the vegetables and rabbit skewers.

Rose shrugged, exchanging looks with Yuri. "Oh, well, the usual. I've been sewing a lot. Ran around a few towns outside looking for you, too."

Oh, right.

"Mother," Yuri said.

"You can't possibly keep this a secret from Byleth," Rose said, rolling her eyes.

I looked at Yuri and said, "What?"

"All of the house leaders were helping," Yuri said. "It wasn't just me."

Rose leaned forward on the table. "Yuri ran himself ragged trying to find you." Ah, of course he would. I looked down at my bowl.

"You're going to make her feel guilty," Yuri said.

"Byleth, I'm telling you so you know that we did our best," Rose said. Her voice was gentle. "That we care about you and that we were worried for you."

"Thanks," I said and tried to smile at Rose. Yuri was watching me. I glanced at him. "Thanks."

Yuri looked at his mother and raised an eyebrow. He was right. I did feel a little guilty, for making them worry, for making them run everywhere trying to find me, for making a fuss. But Rose was right too. Knowing that they'd go to such lengths to look for me… I teared up a little, and my heart squeezed in my chest.

Yuri reached over and patted my hand. I tried the pasta salad next. It was easier to eat, with the chewy noodles, the fresh tomatoes, and creamy dressing.

"Won't you stay the night?" Rose asked me, a little later. "It's a bit of a walk back, isn't it?"

"Yeah, sure," I said.

Yuri washed the dishes, and I helped put them away. Rose kept fretting about as we did though, until Yuri told her that we'd be fine. While Yuri went to take a bath, Rose showed me her latest stitch work. She had a little booth in Abyss where she sold clothes. When Rose lowered the skirt she'd made, she looked at my arms.

"I know Yuri said you don't want to be healed," Rose said. "But, let me know if you ever want me to heal you, all right?"

I looked at my arms, covered in cuts and scars. Rose put the clothes away into her basket. Maybe… if it was Rose. I hugged my arms and tried to imagine what Rose's healing magic felt like. Warm, light, like a soft blanket. She'd healed me countless times over the years, oftentimes while scolding Yuri and me.

I held my right arm out towards Rose. "Please, try."

Rose lifted her eyebrows. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, biting my bottom lip. Warm. Rose's healing was warm. Not cold, like Solon's. But I was afraid it'd feel that way.

We sat down on Rose's bed, and she took my right hand. "Tell me when you want me to stop," Rose said.

I nodded and looked at Rose. Her thin face, her light purple hair, her dark blue eyes. There were wrinkles near her eyes and on her cheeks. Rose's hand glowed white. I swallowed as the healing magic hit me. Like sharp, icy daggers. I gritted my teeth and clenched my left hand. It shouldn't be cold. It should be warm. It was Rose's magic, after all. It was all in my head.

I was back in that room again. Solon was laughing at me while healing me, just so he could inject another painful poison into me. I screamed.

"Byleth? Byleth!"

The cold stopped, but Solon kept laughing and leering at me. He was still winning.

"Byleth," Rose said. She touched my left hand, and I jerked away, tumbling to the floor. The wooden floor, the dark room, a lit lantern on the bed side table. Rose was watching me, forehead creased in concern. I was breathing hard.

_I'm in Abyss. I'm okay. I'm with Rose. And Yuri._

"What happened?" Yuri burst into the room, looked at the two of us. His hair was wet.

"I-I'm okay," I said, gasping for air. I wrapped my arms around me.

Rose knelt down on the floor beside me. "I'm sorry, Byleth."

I shook my head. "It's not your fault. It's mine." Solon was still in my head. Yuri held his hand out, so we stood back up.

"What happened?" Yuri said, this time more softly.

"I tried to heal her," Rose said.

"Mother-" Yuri said.

"I asked her to," I said. I looked at Rose. "Can you try again?"

Rose squeezed her hands together. "Oh, Byleth. I don't know."

"Please," I said. "I know your healing magic isn't cold. It shouldn't be. But why does it feel that way?"

Rose patted my hand. "Are you sure?" I nodded. "Okay."

I held Yuri's hand with my other and waited for the healing energy to seep into my skin again. _It's warm,_ I told myself. _It's warm._ It had to be. It couldn't be cold.

But it was. Like ice snakes slithering up my arm. I shivered. Rose and Yuri exchanged concerned glances. I squeezed Yuri's hand. I was in Abyss, with Rose and Yuri. I was safe. I had to keep reminding myself.

Warm, warm, warm.

Then, the cold turned into a blazing heat. I yelped and yanked my arm away from Rose.

"Wh-What?" Rose said.

"Hot hot," I said, hugging my arm. I sighed, shaking my head. "Sorry. I guess it's just-"

"It's fine," Rose said with a small smile. "It takes time to heal, Byleth, so take your time. We'll be here."

I nodded, while gnawing on my bottom lip and fighting back tears. It was hard to express the gratitude that flooded my chest. "Thank you," I said. My voice broke.

Rose swept me into a hug. Yuri joined in. "You don't have to do this alone," Rose said. "We're here for you, Byleth."

I hugged Rose back tightly as I started to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


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